So Close but So Far Away
by DoubleBubble96
Summary: This was the day that changed Will Schuester's life. If only he hadn't run that stop sign.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm back with a new story! This idea came to me while I saw a trailer for the movie The Vow a while ago. I haven't seen the movie but this story is based off that idea. This is set in present time Glee but the italic flashback is set around The Proposal. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. That belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox.**

It had happened so fast. The car screeching across the snow covered road. The impact of the car as it rolled off the ditch and flipped on its side and the high pitched screaming coming from next to Will Schuester.

The day had started off as any normal school day for Will Schuester and Rachel Berry, well as normal as anyone could call their relationship. It had been four months since Will had decided to admit to himself that he had feelings for his star pupil, Rachel Berry.

_It had all started when Rachel had burst into the choir room with tear stained cheeks and red blotch marks that covered her face. Finn had just proposed to her and it felt like her future was crashing down. It's not that she didn't love Finn because she did, it was just the thought of him trapping her. Finn had no real dreams of the future and although Rachel never said it, it bothered her. She didn't know if she could be with someone who had such little self confidence in themselves that they would want to spend the rest of their life working at a tire shop. So when he proposed, it made her dreams of New York come crashing down, and while Finn waited for an answer, she just couldn't give him one._

_So she ran to the choir room where she thought she could be alone but instead found Will at the piano, lightly tracing his fingers over the keys. He stopped instantly when she walked in._

"_Rachel," Will said in a confused manner. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I wanted to be alone and came here, but I guess this was the wrong place to go to," she said as she walked closer to him._

"_I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be in your way," Will said getting up off the bench._

"_It's not your fault. It's your room anyways," Rachel said leaning her arms on the black surface of the piano._

"_What's wrong?" Will asked._

"_Nothing, it's just Finn trouble," Rachel said not making eye contact._

"_Finn trouble?" Will asked confused. "What do you mean?" _

"_I don't know. I just can't marry him okay!" Rachel shouted._

"_Woah, Rachel, calm down. What about marrying?" Will asked with shock on his face._

"_Finn! He proposed to me just now," Rachel said breaking down in tears._

_Will moved closer and put a hand on her shoulder._

"_It's going to be okay, Rachel. Did you give him an answer?" Will asked even though he had a suspicion that she didn't give him one._

"_No, I can't give him one. My answer will break his heart," she said._

"_You need to tell him though because leading him on is just as bad," Will said._

"_Is that what you did with Ms. Pillsbury?" Rachel asked. To say Will was surprised to hear that was an understatement. That is what he did when he decided he couldn't marry Emma but to hear a student ask him that threw him off. _

"_Sorry if that was too personal," Rachel asked noticing his surprise._

"_No, it's alright, but that is what I did. I realized that not telling her I couldn't marry her was just as bad as not telling her anything. She needed the truth and so does Finn," Will said compassionately as he pulled her into a hug. _

_Rachel was surprised at the contact but wrapped her arms around his waist. She suddenly felt calmer, and relaxed. She felt protected. She pushed the thoughts out of her head though remembering why she was here in his arms in the first place._

"_Thanks, Mr. Schuester. I think I'm going to go talk to Finn now," Rachel said as she walked away._

"_I'm really sorry about you and Ms. Pillsbury," Rachel added as she poked her head back into the door. _

"_Thanks Rachel, you know where to find me if you need me," Will said as Rachel nodded and walked away._

_The next couple of days had been a struggle for Rachel but she finally had the courage to talk to Finn face to face. She decided that it would be better for the both of them to do it quick and easy so that is what she did. The look on Finn's face said it all but for some reason she didn't feel sad or hurt, she actually felt relieved and calm. _

_Deciding that she needed to thank someone for the support and courage, she once again went to the choir room. This time though, Ms. Pillsbury was in the room and a screaming match was happening._

"_I'm sorry Emma, but your parents really opened my eyes and I just can't be with you anymore," Will said._

"_My parents? You would rather support them when I'm the one you love?" Emma asked with tears streaming down her face._

"_It's not that I don't love you Emma, it's just I don't know if we would be happy together. I want a family someday but I don't think you do," Will said honestly regretting that last part though. _

"_Fine, then I'm leaving you and just don't talk to me, Will," Emma said as she stormed by Rachel not even noticing her._

_Will slammed his fist down on the piano making sheet music fall everywhere. Rachel bent down and picked one up, handing it to him._

"_I'm sorry, Mr. Schuester," Rachel said moving next to him._

"_Thank you, Rachel, but this isn't your problem. I'm sorry you had to see that," Will said._

"_Is there anything I can do for you?" Rachel asked._

"_I don't think so. I think I screwed this one up to the point of no return," Will said looking into her eyes._

"_How did it go with Finn?" Will asked breaking the silence in the room._

"_That's why I came here actually. I wanted to thank you for the other day because it gave me the strength to end it. I feel so much better," Rachel explained._

"_Well I'm glad one of us is happy," Will said as he nudged Rachel's shoulder. _

"_Mr. Schuester, you don't need Emma to make you happy," Rachel said dropping the formal title of her guidance counselor. Will looked at her not sure if he should stop or continue this conversation with her but he was feeling better about the situation so he continued._

"_I don't?" he asked._

"_No, you have plenty of options," Rachel said._

"_What if I told you my only option was you?" Will asked even shocking himself with that question. He was looking directly into Rachel's chocolate brown eyes while she stood there nervously unable to say anything._

"_Me?" she finally asked._

"_Yes, Rachel. I think I have had feelings for you for the longest time. I just never showed them because well you're my student and I loved Emma, but it's over with Emma," Will said._

"_But I'm still your student," Rachel reminded him._

"_I know but this past week has made it feel like we are more than that. I felt a connection when you came in here a couple days ago and I think with my drama with Emma it made my feelings resurface," Will said._

"_I don't know what to say," Rachel honestly said because she truly didn't know what to say. This was happening so fast._

"_You don't have to say anything, just let me kiss you," Will said as he moved closer to her. He stopped when he was just inches away from her lips, looking at Rachel to make sure this was okay. When she gave a slight nod of the head, Will closed the gap between them, kissing her with all the passion he had._

From that moment on, Will and Rachel were inseparable. They spent all their free time together including before and after glee practice. Glee practice was where they saw each other the most and Will would always drive her home after practice.

This particular afternoon though was different. A light snow had begun to fall over Lima, which was odd for April, but it fell at a steady pace covering the streets and buildings.

Will thought nothing of it as he and Rachel quickly made their way to his car. They sighed when they climbed in as the heater was turned up to full blast.

"Great job at practice today, Rach," Will said looking over at her fastening her seat belt. "Nationals is going to be no challenge," he added.

"Thank you. I'm glad you decided to give me that solo. I told you anything from Wicked was mine," Rachel laughed.

"I know. I should have remembered when you fought me for giving the Defying Gravity solo to Kurt that one time," Will said pulling out of the school lot as Rachel laughed remembering how angry she was with him that day.

"Do you have to be home right now?" Will asked.

"No, my dad's went out for dinner," Rachel said.

"Great, how about we go back to my place for some coffee?" he asked.

"Sounds perfect," Rachel said as she turned up the dial on the radio. Her favorite song came on and she just had to belt out the lyrics. Will tried to keep his eyes on the road in front of him but he couldn't. Rachel's voice filled his car and warmed his heart. He looked over to her with admiration in his eyes. He was getting lost in her song. So lost that he flew through a stop sign.

A car honk from the distance woke Will up as he swerved the car back into the right lane. However he over corrected and went down into a ditch. The car bounced and jolted back and forth as he tried to make it stop but that only made it worse. He heard Rachel screaming in fear. He wanted to reach out to her and tell her everything would be okay but if he couldn't stop the car he didn't know if it would be. He felt the car start to tip on its side as they went over another large bump in the ditch.

It finally tilted all the way over and Will feared for Rachel's life since it was on her side. When the car fully stopped, Will panicked because of not hearing Rachel's voice.

He was bleeding as he felt warm liquid trickle down his face, but he couldn't think about him, he had to help Rachel.

Although his side of the door was slightly bent, he managed to get it open. After he opened the door, he looked over to Rachel's unconscious form.

"Rachel, please wake up," Will pleaded as he tried to get the seat belt undone. It was wrapped tight around her waist but he managed. He grabbed her by the arms, careful not to cause anymore injury, and maneuvered them to his side of the car.

He got them both out the door and onto the ground and carried them a few feet away from his car. He looked at Rachel carefully, noticing cuts and bruises and a slight trail of blood coming from her forehead. She was stirring lightly and a small smile appeared on his face.

"What happened?" Rachel groggily asked.

"We got in an accident. It's going to be okay, though Rachel," Will said as calmly as possible.

"My head hurts," Rachel said quietly before drifting off to an unconscious state.

"Rachel, Rachel honey, please try and stay awake," Will pleaded but it was no use.

He searched for his phone but of course lost it when the car went off the road. He needed help so Will decided to scream at the top of his lungs till he made a car stop.

"Please, help us!" Will shouted at a man who had thankfully pulled over.

"It's okay sir, I already called 911. Just stay with me," the man said while looking at Rachel.

"Can you tell me what day it is?" the man asked trying to get Will to focus on something else as the man tried C.P.R on Rachel.

"What? I don't know, Friday?" Will asked, confused why this man wanted to know the day of the week rather than help them.

"What's your name?" was the next question.

"Will Schuester," Will said.

"Look the ambulance is here," the man said pointing at the flashing vehicle coming towards them. It wasn't long till the paramedics loaded both Will and Rachel onto the stretcher and speeded off towards the hospital.

"Rachel," Will called out with tears streaming down his face. "Please don't leave me," he said as he grabbed the hand next to his and held on for life.

**A/N: So let me know what you all think by leaving me a review. I would really like to know what you thought of this first chapter. Bye for now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hi everyone. Welcome to chapter two! I hope you all enjoy and please remember to read and review!**

A bright white light shone in the room that Will laid in. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the room. When his eyes became clear, he realized that this was a room that was not familiar to him.

He blinked a few more times but nothing changed. He scanned his surroundings and noticed the multiple machines and equipment next to him, and then the IV in his arm.

"Mr. Schuester, I'm glad to see you are awake. How are you feeling?" an unfamiliar nurse asked, startling him.

"I'm not sure. Where am I?" Will asked confused.

"You are in a hospital, do you not remember the accident?" the nurse asked.

_The accident? What accident?_ Will thought. The last thing he remembered was that he was with Rachel and, then it hit him. He had run a stop light and caused his car to crash. That is why he was here. If he was here though, then what happened to Rachel?

"Oh my god, where is Rachel? Is she okay?" Will asked starting to panic.

"Ms. Berry has suffered a head injury," the nurse said. "She is in a couple of rooms down the hallway," she added.

"I need to see her," Will said trying to get out of the bed but the nurse held him back.

"No, Mr. Schuester, we need to run a few more tests on you to make sure you are okay. When that is done, I 'll let you visit her," the nurse explained taking a sample of blood from Will's arm.

"No, I need to see her now. This is all my fault," Will said about to break down in tears, as he rubbed a hand over his eyes.

"No, it's not your fault. We need you to stay here, just for a little while longer," the nurse said.

Will saw that the nurse was not going to let him see Rachel any time soon so he laid back down and tried not to let his mind wander to what was going on with Rachel.

"Are her dad's here?" Will suddenly asked, curious to see if they had been contacted.

"They have been contacted and they are on their way, and a Miss Emma Pillsbury has been contacted for you," the nurse said.

Will looked up unsure if the nurse had really just said Emma was coming.

"Emma is on her way here?" Will asked.

"Yes, she was your emergency contact. Is there a problem?" the nurse asked noticing his confusion.

"No, it's just we haven't had the best relationship lately," Will said not wanting to go into detail about how upset Emma was when he decided he couldn't marry her and started dating Rachel instead.

"Oh, well she seemed worried about you so maybe things have changed? I need to go check your tests and then I will be back to let you see Rachel, alright?" the nurse asked. Will nodded and sunk back into the mattress. He let out a groan as his back ached while his head was throbbed.

Will must have closed his eyes because when he woke up the nurse was back by his side holding his test results in her hand.

"Mr. Schuester, your tests show up positive. Other than a few minor injuries' to your back and head, you should recover in no time," the nurse said as she started to remove the IV.

"Can I go see Rachel?" Will asked not even caring about his report.

"Yes, I think her fathers are there at the moment, but I will lead you down the way," the nurse said as she handed Will some clothes to change into.

"I'm going to step out for a bit. Just come out when you are done and remember to take things slow, Mr. Schuester," the nurse said sternly. Will thanked her as he stripped out of the hospital gown and into his clothes. He was a lot more soar than he thought when he lifted his arms to put his shirt on. He winced at the pain. _If I'm this bad, I wonder how Rachel is? _Will thought as he looked at himself in the mirror, remembering the crash was on her side. He took a deep breath and headed out the door.

"Will! Oh my god, are you okay?" Will heard Emma ask as she ran to him from the waiting room.

"I'm okay, just a little sore but all my tests showed positive so I can leave if I wanted to," Will explained as Emma looked at him with worried eyes.

"I'm so glad you are okay," she said as she hugged him. Will was surprised but wrapped his arms around her, returning her hug.

"Have you seen Rachel?" Emma asked with a worried look on her face.

"Not yet, I'm on my way over," Will said starting to walk his way over to her room. "Are her father's still there?" he asked.

"I think so, but Will there's something you should know," Emma said as she followed Will in the direction of Rachel's room.

Will knocked on the door ignoring Emma, as he saw Rachel's dads in the room through the window on the door. They ushered him in with their hands and Will slowly walked in with Emma behind him.

"Mr. Schuester, we are so glad you are okay," Leroy said with Hiram nodding.

"Thank you," Will said trying to see Rachel but her fathers were blocking her bed.

"We were so worried about you two when we got the call," Hiram said.

"How is Rachel?" Will said politely pushing his way through the men to look at her. She was asleep, which slightly disappointed him. He noticed a row of stiches on her forehead and a few cuts and bruises on her arms.

"She was awake for a moment when we came in but the accident has left her so weak that she fell asleep, not giving us much information," Leroy explained sadly.

"What happened, Mr. Schuester?" Hiram asked. "The nurse just said an accident but didn't give the details."

"Well first off I'm so sorry for this ever happening. We were driving after glee practice and Rachel started singing. Her voice puts people in a trance, and I mean that in a good way. I was so over taken by her singing that I ran a stop sign and when I over corrected I ran off the road. My car flipped and before I knew it I was pulling both of us out of the car," Will explained with tears in his eyes. This was all his fault and he felt terrible. He didn't even want to look up to see the look on everybody's faces.

"This was your fault?" Hiram asked in disbelief. "I thought another car might have hit you."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen," Will said feeling the tears run down his face.

"What were you thinking? Don't you watch the road when you drive?" Hiram shouted again, startling not only Will but Leroy and Emma as well.

"Hiram, it was an accident, he didn't mean for this to happen," Leroy said trying to calm his husband down.

"You have to know how awful I feel," Will said truly meaning what he said. He loved Rachel more than her father's thought but he couldn't tell them that he had been secretly dating her for the past four months.

"You feel awful? Our daughter hasn't woken up since we first got here," Hiram said.

"Hiram, that is enough. Maybe we should step outside," Leroy said grabbing his shoulder and leading him out. Leroy gave Will and apologetic look and he nodded back. He understood that her fathers were angry for this happening but he never thought they would have blamed him

"Are you okay, Will?" Emma asked when they finally left the room.

"Her father's blame me for the accident, Emma. They probably hate me," Will said turning towards her.

"They don't hate you, Will. They are just upset," Emma said grabbing his shoulder.

"I know but this is my fault. I caused the accident and now look at Rachel," Will said pointing to her form.

"It's going to be okay," Emma said trying to be comforting.

"Can you leave me alone? I just want to be with Rachel for a couple of minutes," Will asked surprising Emma by his request.

"I really don't think you should be alone, Will," Emma said.

"Please, I need a moment with my," Will said but stopped himself before he said girlfriend. Emma looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

"I just need a moment," Will said recovering from his mistake.

"Okay, Will. I'll be outside with Rachel's dads," Emma said as she grabbed his shoulder again.

"Thank you, Emma," Will said as she left the room.

Will waited until the door was completely shut before he started to talk to Rachel.

"Rachel, please wake up," Will said as he grabbed her hand and sat next to her.

"I'm so sorry that I made this happen. I wish I could take it all back and that I never ran that stop sign," Will said as he felt tears in his eyes again. He squeezed her hand a little tighter just to let her know he was there even if she was asleep.

He sat for another thirty minutes, just staring at her helpless form. He wished she would wake up so he would be able to kiss her and hold her. He looked away, afraid that he would start crying again when he felt a grip on his hand. His eyes shot towards Rachel as he watched her stir in her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed Will sitting there.

She looked at him with a look of confusion and fear. Will smiled at her but noticed that something was wrong. She was looking at him like she had no idea who he was.

"Rachel, how are you feeling?" he asked gently, tyring not to scare her.

"I'm fine, but my head hurts, doctor," Rachel said slowly.

"Doctor?" Will said quietly to himself. _Rachel thinks I am her doctor. _"Rachel, I'm not your doctor. I'm your," Will said as an actual doctor came in the room, stopping from saying the word boyfriend and teacher.

"Ah Rachel, it's nice to see you awake," the doctor said while noticing Will next to her.

"Hi, you must be William Schuester?" the doctor asked sticking out his hand.

"Yes," Will said shaking his hand.

"I'm doctor Michaels. I will be working with Rachel to ensure she has a full recovery," he said while smiling down at her. Will pulled him aside and whispered to him.

"How is she? I mean she thinks I am her doctor," Will asked still in shock.

"Yes that is normal to experience memory loss after head trauma," doctor Michaels explained.

"How long does it last?" Will asked.

"It depends, we really are not sure. Are her father's in here? I feel like I should be telling them this as well."

"Oh, they are in the waiting room," Will said pointing out into the hallway.

"Thank you. Only a couple more minutes, Mr. Schuester, Rachel needs her rest," he said as he left the room.

"I won't be long," Will said, watching as he left the room.

"Rachel, do you really not know who I am?" Will asked again.

"I thought you were my doctor?" she asked looking at him puzzled.

"No, that man who just left is your doctor. I'm your teacher Rachel and your," Will said but stopped himself as her fathers came back into the room. Maybe telling Rachel he was her boyfriend was not a good thing at the moment. A lot had happened and he didn't want to scare her any more than she already was.

"Rachel, you are awake," Hiram said bending down and hugging her.

"How are you feeling honey?" Leroy asked.

"My head hurts, daddy," Rachel said surprising Will.

"We will get you some medication to ease the pain," Leroy said as he left to get the doctor again.

"She remembers you?" Will asked quietly.

"She doesn't you?" Hiram asked.

"She thought I was her doctor," Will explained.

"Oh dear," Hiram said as he covered his mouth in surprise.

"I'm back with the pills sweetheart," Leroy said walking in the room and giving her two pills.

"Where is Finn?" Rachel suddenly asked with everyone looking at her surprised.

"Finn?" Leroy asked. "Honey you two broke up months ago, don't you remember?" Leroy asked again. Will just stood there in disbelief as his heart was breaking.

"No we didn't. I love him and he is my boyfriend," Rachel said being completely serious. Her fathers looked at each other worriedly as Will tried not to cry in front of her and yell out that he was he boyfriend now.

"I'll see if I can reach him," Hiram said walking out of the room.

"I think I should go as well," Will said turning to leave before the tears spilled out of his eyes.

"I'll come visit tomorrow," he said as he looked at Rachel then at Leroy. Leroy nodded as Rachel looked at him with no expression on her face.

Will walked out in tears as Emma ran to him.

"Will, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, I need to go. I need to be alone," Will said pushing past her and to the elevator. When he got in, he broke down. He couldn't control his tears as the reality hit him that Rachel didn't remember them as a couple or as anything at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! I realize it has been extremely long since I updated this and I am sorry. I was finishing my semester and then did summer school while also finishing A Night to Remember. I hope you are all still interested in this story because I have good things planned to come. Enjoy and please review! Reviews help me write faster!**

When the elevator door closed, Will was glad that he was the only one in there. He could cry without feeling the need to explain everything. He leaned up against the wall and dropped to the floor with his hands in his face.

_What were you thinking Will? Running a stop sign? _Will thought these questions as he rode down to the bottom floor of the hospital. _She doesn't remember me and it is all my fault. I can't let her go back to Finn, I just can't, _Will thought as the floor hit one. The dinging of the elevator told him it was his time to get out which he happily obliged.

As he was walking with his head slouched and a hand running over his eyes, he didn't notice the large, tall figure walking towards him and calling his name.

"Mr. Schuester!" It was Finn running towards him with a worried look of concern. _I guess her dads got a hold of him,_ Will thought as he slowly looked up.

"I can't believe what happened. Are you okay?" Finn asked with worry.

"I'm fine, Finn, other than some cuts and bruises," Will said not really wanting to talk to the boy at the moment. All Will wanted to do was go home and lock himself in his room with no interaction from anybody.

"That's a relief. I'm glad you are okay," Finn said as he patted a hand on Wills shoulder. Will gave a slight smile at the gesture and nodded his head.

"How, how is Rachel? Her father's told me but is it really bad?" Finn asked questioningly as silence crept into the conversation.

"Well Rachel is facing most of the injuries of the wreck. She has some cuts and bruises but most of all sever memory loss. She, she doesn't remember who I am," Will said feeling the tears in his eyes again. He quickly looked away so Finn wouldn't notice.

Finn stood there in shock, nodding his head slowly. He couldn't believe this was happening. In all honesty though, he was slightly happy and surprised that he got the call from Rachel's dads. Rachel had wanted him again and he would do anything to get her back after she broke up with him a couple of months ago. It was his turn to remind them of what they were and what they could be.

"I'm sorry Mr. Schue," Finn said. "So is the rest of the club. I let them know what was going on as soon as I found out. They are all worried about you two and plan on visiting tomorrow when we were supposed to have practice," Finn said.

"Thank you, Finn. Tell them I'm okay, alright?" Will said with Finn nodding. Silence crept back into the conversation so Will thought it would be best to leave.

"Listen, I don't want to keep you from seeing Rachel so I'm going to take off," Will said not bearing to be in the conversation anymore.

"Alright. Bye, Mr. Schue. I'm really am glad you're okay," Finn said as he watched Will nod and walk out the door.

"See you tomorrow," Finn shouted as Will waved back.

When Will was outside he remembered that he had no car to go home in. His little old blue car was ruined in the accident. Will stood by the entrance of the hospital thinking of a way to get home when another voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I can take you home, Will," Emma said from the entrance. "It might even be better to let me stay with you. You have been through a lot in just a day and I don't think you should be alone," Emma said stepping closer.

Will spun around at the surprise of her voice.

"Emma?" Will asked confused while Emma just gave a simple nod of the head.

"Why do you want to help me?" Will asked seeing as their relationship ended months ago and had not really spoken that much since.

"You need a friend right now, Will and I'm here to be one for you," Emma said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, but you really don't have to. I can take care of myself," Will said being as nice as he could. Why couldn't people see that he just wanted to go home and be alone?

"I know you can but I think it would be better if I was there with you," Emma explained again.

Will looked at her and saw nothing but compassion. She really did want to help him but Will didn't want to be a burden to her and in honesty he didn't want the company.

"Really Emma, I'll be okay," Will said.

"Then how are you getting home?" Emma asked not letting go.

"A cab?" Will stated thinking on his feet.

"Just let me take you home, Will. I won't even stay if you don't want me too. Just let me give you a ride," Emma said with a look of determination. She wasn't going to give up.

"Okay, fine," Will said after a couple of minutes of silence. Emma smiled at him and started walking in the direction of her car before he changed his mind. Will followed a few steps behind.

Once they reached her car, they both got in and fastened their seat belts with Will sitting quietly in the passenger side. The thought of being in a car after just being in an accident a couple of hours ago, frightened Will but with there being no other option on how to get home, he sucked it up.

"Did you see Finn?" Will finally asked ten minutes into the drive.

"Yes I did. That is why I left. I thought he should have sometime alone with Rachel and her dads," Emma said keeping her eyes on the road. She didn't dare look over to Will because she knew the outcome of what could happen if she took her eyes off the road.

"He was worried about you, you know," Emma said taking a left turn onto the high way.

"I know and I didn't mean to seem rude but I just needed my space," Will said trying to keep his tears to a minimum.

"I know this is hard on you, Will, but this is not your fault," Emma said noticing his silence and tears.

"How is it not my fault though, Emma?" Will asked getting angry. He wished people would stop trying to convince him that the car he flipped was not his fault. He caused the accident, plain and simple.

"I was the driver. I had control of the car and I ran the stop sign," Will said running a hand over his face while he sunk his head back into the seat.

Emma was silent as she listened to Will yell his thoughts and let out his anger.

"Rachel can't remember me and it's because of me, so please stop telling me that it wasn't my fault," Will said calming down a bit, feeling a little better to have gotten it off his chest.

Emma was at a loss for words so all she was able to do was nod and keep quiet for the rest of the ride. She didn't think Will would take this so hard but she knew that deep down Will was an emotional man and that the glee kids were more than students to him, they were his family. So when one of them is hurt, he is hurt and since he was involved in this, it must kill him on the inside more than ever. Little did Emma know though that Will was more than involved with Rachel other than the accident.

When Emma finally arrived at Will's apartment complex, she pulled into his spot. She turned the car off and unbuckled her seat belt which Will had noticed.

"Emma, what are you doing? I only wanted a ride home from you," Will said as he unbuckled his seat belt as well.

"Will, I'm here to help," she said looking directly at him. Will put a hand over her seat belt buckle to stop her from continuing.

"I appreciate you wanting to help but I just want to be alone. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Will asked trying to get her to see that he really didn't want any company. Emma studied his face and after a couple of minutes, she finally agreed.

"Fine, but I want a call first thing in the morning or I am coming back over," Emma said being completely serious.

"Okay, deal," Will said as he climbed out of the car.

"Thank you for the ride," he said as he shut the door. Emma nodded at him through the window and watched him walk up the stairs to his apartment.

When he was out of sight, Emma let out a sigh as she rested her head in the seat. She could feel the tears prickle at her eyes, begging to be released down her face. All she wanted to do was help him. That was her job after all, to help and council people but with Will it was more than that. She needed to help him because if she ever lost him completely she didn't know what she would do. She realized that they had been broken up for months but this was her chance to win him back. It was her chance to show that she still had feelings for him and maybe never stopped when they broke up.

_If Will doesn't call me first thing in the morning, I will be on my way over whether he likes it or not,_ she thought as she put her car in park again and left his building.

Will finally got to his door after what seemed like the longest trek of his life. Each step he took hurt and ached and he couldn't wait to just take a shower and lie down on his bed.

When he finally found his keys, he struggled with opening the door. It finally clicked open and Will sighed of relief. He walked in and dropped his keys on the kitchen counter and then headed to his bedroom. He didn't even bother to turn on the lights. He just walked into the bathroom and shut the door quickly behind him.

After he took a long hot shower that not only soothed his body but also relaxed his mind, he went into his room and laid on his bed, thinking of how Rachel was doing.

_How could Rachel not remember me? _Will thought as the realization was coming back. _She remembers her fathers and Finn, why not me? Why not me? _Will thought as he rolled over on his stomach. The red alarm clock flashed a little after midnight. Will groaned and tried to get to sleep but if anything try to stop thinking about Rachel. He would see her first thing in the morning whether he wanted to or not.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi people! So here is chapter four! This is my first ever chapter where I added a song in it! I hope it turned out well and not too cheesy and that the meaning of the song still works in this situation. Please read and review and let me know what you think!**

**I also have a new story out called Wild Parties and Late Night Calls. I would appreciate it if you could drop by that one and leave a review. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any songs by Jason Mraz. I'm just borrowing it. **

After much tossing and turning, Will finally fell asleep. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and slowly allowed himself to drift off to sleep. When he woke up, he felt just as bad. His arms ached and his back throbbed, his mind immediately went to Rachel and how she was doing.

He rolled over to check the time that was blaring from the red glow of the alarm clock. 8 am it read and he was surprised that he had slept in that late. Deciding that staying in bed would solve nothing, Will got up and headed into the bathroom where he thought a warm shower would wake him up. He sighed and felt his muscles relax a little as the water soothed his pains. It seemed unreal that the accident was just yesterday, but here he was in pain and heartache over the events that had happened.

When he was done with his shower, Will headed out into the kitchen to find some pain medicines and make a quick breakfast before heading over to see Rachel. When he was about to leave, his cell rang.

_Emma_ popped up on the screen and Will slightly sighed.

"Hi, Em," Will said casually.

"Will, I didn't think you would be awake," Emma said.

"Yeah, I decided to get up early," Will said still unsure of why Emma was actually calling him.

"Emma, is there a reason for calling?" Will asked as politely as he could. He wanted to see Rachel and be by her side.

"Yes, yes there is," Emma said a bit excitedly.

"And?" Will asked.

"Well, I just wanted to see if you wanted a ride over to see Rachel today?" Emma asked.

"A ride?" Will asked. He thought for a moment. He didn't have a car anymore and he didn't really want to pay for a cab. He appreciated Emma wanting to help but he really didn't need any help. He was independent and didn't like asking for help, but this was a situation where he had no other choice, either pay for a cab or let Emma give him a ride. The second option seemed best.

"Thanks, Emma that would be great actually," Will said as he went and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Great, I hope you are ready because I'm on my way," Emma said.

"I'm ready, just call me when you are here," Will said as he heard Emma say an okay and then hung up the phone.

Will only waited for ten minutes before he got a call from Emma. He told her he would be down in five and met her in the spot where his car would have been. He quickly got in and shut the door.

"Hi, Will," Emma said casually.

"Hi, Emma, thank you for the ride," Will said again.

"It's no problem. I was going to go visit Rachel today anyways," Emma said as she pulled out of the apartment complex and onto the street. The ride was surprisingly quite with slight small talk here and there. Emma asked of how Will was feeling and he responded saying he took his pain medication and the pain was subsiding.

They finally arrived at the hospital and Emma pulled into a spot in the parking garage. Will quickly unbuckled his seat belt and took off in the direction of the elevator. Emma noticed his eagerness and quickly followed.

"Will, maybe you shouldn't see Rachel," Emma said suddenly. Will looked at her confused.

"Why not?" Will asked slightly angry. He was going to see Rachel no matter what. If it wasn't for visiting hours he would have stayed with her all night. He knew Emma didn't know about their relationship and was only looking out for him, but Will would come see Rachel rain or shine and every day until she was better.

"She has just been through a traumatic experience and maybe it would be good to let her recover some. She doesn't remember you, Will and you don't want to scare her by showing up," Emma explained. She was only looking out for him because in all truth she still loved him and she would do everything in her power to make him fall in love with her again.

Will thought for a minute on the issue of Rachel's memory loss. It was true that for some reason Rachel did not remember him. She thought he was her doctor and that thought troubled him but it only reassured him that he needed to keep going to remind her of who he is and who they are.

"Emma, I know you are concerned but Rachel is important to me just like all the glee kids and if anyone of them got hurt I would be there for them. They are my family and they would do the same for me," Will explained. Emma nodded at his response and got in the elevator with him when it finally opened.

The ride up to the hospital felt never ending. It seemed like there were more floors than there really were but it finally stopped on her floor. Will got out first and quickly headed to the direction of the waiting room. After a couple of twists and turns, Will and Emma arrived and found every member of the glee club sitting and quietly chatting with each other. Will's heart swelled at the sight. He was definitely right that these kids were a family because them all sitting in one room with no arguing, proved that they cared for each other.

"Mr. Schue!" Finn jumped up first as usual.

"We are so glad you are okay," Tina said with everyone nodding in agreement.

"Thanks guys," Will said as he walked closer to the group. Will looked at them all and noticed concern etched on all their faces in wonderment of what had actually happened. He wasn't sure if he was ready to tell them all yet the truth, that he was the cause for the accident, so he changed the subject.

"How is Rachel today?" he asked. Everyone looked awkwardly around each other, not sure how to explain.

"Well she only remembers a few of us," Mercedes said. Will looked at her shocked. It wasn't just him that she didn't remember.

"She doesn't remember me either," Will said sadly as he ran a hand through his hair.

"We heard," Puck said. Will looked at him confused. "Her dads are in the room with her. They told us of her condition when we got here," Artie explained.

Will nodded in understanding. "So who else doesn't she remember?" Will asked curious to know.

"She seems to remember me, Puck, Quinn and Brittany and Santana. Everyone else, she has no clue," Finn said with deep concern.

Will stared at him curiously. _Why would Rachel remember them and not me? It doesn't make any sense,_ Will thought.

"The doctor said that sometimes when patients lose memory, they only remember people who played an important part in their life, like parents and close friends," Finn explained seeing the confused look on his face.

_I'm an important part of Rachel's life. I should be remembered! _Will's mind screamed. It just didn't make any sense that Rachel would remember mainly her tormenters rather than someone who loves her.

"Why would she only remember you guys though? You were never close to her except Finn and maybe Puck, but you three only tormented her," Will said looking at Quinn, Santana and Brittany who were all avoiding eye contact with him. Will continued to stare at them. He could tell they were guilty for their actions but that made no difference to Will.

"Mr. Schuester, we don't know why Rachel remembers us but we are sorry for every time we treated her bad," Quinn started to say but Will cut her off.

"Save it Quinn, because if you really felt that way, you would be friends with her. You wouldn't have tormented her all those years with comments on her appearance or constantly bringing her down," Will said trying not to raise his voice. The rest of the kids and Emma were looking at him in shock and Emma thought it would best be if she stepped in and calmed him down.

"Will, I think you need to cool off," Emma said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Will took a breath and looked around the room noticing the pairs of eyes on him and the worried expressions on their faces. He nodded to her and took off down a corner, out of site from everyone.

"Mr. Schuester is just upset. He feels responsible," Emma said to the kids as she went after Will. She found him by a window looking over the front of the hospital.

"Will, are you okay?" Emma asked with genuine concern. She really didn't think he would take the accident this hard.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to lash out at Quinn but it's just not fair," Will said as he rubbed a hand over his face to hide his tears that were about to fall down his face.

"I know your upset, Will but with time Rachel will get better and she will remember not only you but me and everyone else in the club," Emma said stepping closer to him.

"What if she doesn't? What if she never recovers? I can't lose her," Will said as he started crying.

"She will. This is Rachel Berry. She won't give up till she gets what she wants, Will and you know that," Emma said as she placed a hand on his shoulder as she stood next to him.

Will let himself for a moment give into her comfort. It was hard to not tell Emma the truth right then and there that he and Rachel are involved but he didn't know how she would take it and he didn't want to make things worse, so he kept it to himself.

While Will cried on Emma's shoulder, she couldn't help but linger on what Will said about losing her. _I can't lose her_ ran through Emma's minds as she ran a hand up and down Will's back. Will was acting stranger than normal about the situation but Emma felt there was something more, she just didn't know what and she was determined to find out.

"Will, what do you mean you can't lose her?" Emma asked as normal as she could. Will's eyes widened at her question and he scolded himself for his way of words.

"You know what I mean, Emma," Will said hoping that would be enough information to hold her over.

"I don't know if I do, Will," Emma said. Just as Will was about to open his mouth, Finn came around the corner, making Will do a sigh of relief.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay, Mr. Schue," Finn said noticing his red eyes and tear stained cheeks.

"I'm fine, Finn. Thank you for asking," Will said as he whipped his face off once more before heading back into the waiting room and quickly away from Emma. When he arrived back, he gave Quinn an apologetic nod and she smiled and nodded back without having to explain the gesture.

"Aren't you going to go see her, Mr. Schue?" Finn asked. Will looked around the room and once again noticed all the pairs of eyes on him.

"Yes, I think I will," Will said as he turned and headed to her room.

Rachel's room was only a little ways away from the waiting room. When he got there, he quietly knocked on the door and like before, Leroy and Hiram opened it.

"Mr. Schuester, thank you for coming again," Leroy said shaking Will's hand. Hiram nodded in appreciation as well. Will looked over to Rachel who was asleep in her bed.

"How is she today? The club told me that she only remembers a few of them," Will said explaining what he knew.

"Yes, that is true," Hiram said. "The doctor said that this is because the accident triggered her memory to only remember significant events or people in the past couple of years," he explained.

"That doesn't make sense though. I met Rachel her sophomore year and that was only two years ago. She should remember me," Will said.

"Yes well the doctor also said that memory loss is different for every one and sometimes patients just don't remember no matter how long they have known someone," Hiram said.

"How long until she gets her memory back?" Will asked.

"It's uncertain but with time and practice, hopefully not long," Leroy said. Will nodded in shock as he looked at Rachel.

"We'll leave you alone with her. Maybe she will remember you today," Leroy said as he patted Will on the shoulder and left with Hiram.

When they were gone, Will turned to look at Rachel's helpless form. He pulled a chair over and sat next to her and gently grabbed her hand.

When he grabbed it, it felt cold and lifeless but that didn't stop Will from holding on. He wasn't giving up on her and he would hold on forever. He looked at her and he felt the urge to sing. He knew this probably wasn't the time or the place but he needed to sing what he was feeling and Rachel needed to know how he felt even if she wasn't awake.

Will took a deep breath and began to sing a song that he felt truly expressed his feelings.

_When I look into your eyes_

_It's like watching the night sky_

_Or a beautiful sunrise_

_Well there's so much they hold_

_And just like them old stars_

_I see that you've come so far_

_To be right where you are_

_How old is your soul?__  
_

Will got to the chorus and tried to hold back his tears that were forming as he held her hand tighter.

_I won't give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough_

_I'm giving you all my love_

_I'm still looking up__  
_

_And when you're needing your space_

_To do some navigating_

_I'll be here patiently waiting_

_To see what you find__  
_

_Cause even the stars they burn _

_Some even fall to the earth_

_We've got a lot to learn_

_God knows we're worth it_

_No, I won't give up__  
_

Will got up and walked around the room, stopping at the mirror that hung at the wall and continued to sing as he looked at his reflection.

_I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily_

_I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make_

_Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use the tools and gifts_

_We got yeah we got a lot at stake_

_And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend_

_For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn_

_We had to learn, how to bend without the world caving in_

_I had to learn what I got, and what I'm not_

_And who I am__  
_

Will turned back around to face Rachel as he moved to the side of her bed again.

_I won't give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough__I'm giving you all my love_

_I'm still looking up_

_I'm still looking up__  
__I won't give up (No I'm not) on us (Giving up) God knows I'm tough (I am tough), he knows (I am loved)We got a lot (We're alive) to learn (We are loved)God knows we're worth it (And we're worth it)__  
_Will grabbed Rachel's hand again and squeezed it tightly as he sang the last couple of lines. He closed his eyes and felt tears prickle out.

_I won't give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough_

_I'm giving you all my love_

_I'm still looking up_

When he was done, Will took a minute to compose himself. He cried out the last few tears he had and ran a hand through his hair. A voice in the distance took him out of his trance.

"That was beautiful," the voice said. Will knew that voice and was shocked to hear it. He turned around and was shocked to see her standing there.

"Shelby? What are you doing here?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So sorry for a long wait. I was sort of stuck on this chapter and re-edited it a bunch but I think it finally turned out okay. Please read and review! I love getting reviews whether they are good or bad. Happy reading!**

"I heard of the accident," Shelby said with what looked like actual sadness. Will just stared at her, unable to speak. It was like he was looking at a ghost that made his insides turn.

"How?" he finally asked.

"Puck and Quinn called me, and then her dad's," Shelby explained. "I had to come."

"Oh," Will said plain and simple. Her presence made him overwhelmed and a bit stressed. He hadn't seen Shelby since Sectionals because she resigned from the Trouble Tones and according to rumors, which he thought were more than likely true, she had slept with Puck and Quinn was going to turn her in.

"Well, I'll leave you alone with her, Will. I'll come back in later," Shelby finally said noticing his confusion. Before Will could say anything coherent, she was gone, leaving him once again with Rachel.

Will turned and sat in a chair next to Rachel's bedside. As he sat and watched Rachel sleep, Will began to think about Shelby and Puck. Will had been more than stressed lately about his relationship with Rachel and he needed to talk about what he was feeling before he would blurt it out. He couldn't go to Emma because of recent events which made him think that maybe Shelby would be able to help. She did the same thing that Will was doing, except she got caught. Will was almost certain that no one knew of him and Rachel and if someone did, they weren't saying anything about it.

Shelby would be able to understand and if anything help him through this difficult time he was having. The fact that Shelby was Rachel's biological mother somehow never crossed his mind. After much contemplation, he decided he was going to tell her. He didn't know when or how but he was, because he needed to do it for him.

As he stood up to leave the room, Rachel stirred awake. Will stopped, but only to be disappointed. Rachel had only adjusted to the bed and fell back asleep. Will sighed and headed out the door.

He turned the corner into the waiting room and found that most of the glee club was still their including Emma and Shelby who were surprisingly sitting by each other and talking.

Will walked over to Leroy and Hiram who were talking quietly, with concerned looks.

"Will," Leroy said while offering a seat next to him.

"Thank you," Will said as he went over to the chair. "Anymore news from Rachel's doctor?" Will asked once silence had appeared. Will hadn't seen the doctor all day and wondered if there was any report on improvement.

"Well we do have some news, nothing has been decided though," Hiram started to say when he noticed Will's look of concern. Will continued to look at them, urging them to continue.

"The doctor suggested that maybe we take Rachel home so she can adjust back to the life she had. She has half a memory and maybe if she is in familiar places it will trigger the rest of her memory," Hiram explained. Will's eyes widened in concern.

"Are you sure that is a good idea though? The accident was only one day ago, what if something happens?" Will asked. He was of course happy that she would be leaving the hospital, but what if it was too early for her? He didn't want her condition to be worse, and leaving early could cause problems.

"We thought about that, but this seems like the best option. We wouldn't be taking her home till tomorrow or the next day. The doctors are going to run a few more tests to make sure that nothing else is wrong. Once all the tests are done, we are taking her home," Leroy explained.

"Would she be going back to school?" Will asked curiously. School would definitely be a familiar place.

"Not right away, but maybe by next week. School is obviously a familiar place, especially the choir room. We want her to be where she will be comfortable," Leroy said. Will nodded because he obviously wanted the same thing.

"If you need any help at all, please let me know. I am more than willing to do anything for Rachel," Will said. Leroy and Hiram beamed at him and his graciousness.

"Well, we would like someone to watch over her at school," Hiram asked.

"Of course, the glee kids and I will do everything to make sure Rachel is comfortable," Will explained. He wished he could do more, but he didn't want to over step his boundaries. He knew her fathers would take very good care of her.

"Thank you, it means so much to know that Rachel has such caring people in her life," Hiram said with Leroy nodding.

"It's no problem. I want to help," Will said.

"If you will excuse us, we are going to go see her," Leroy said with Hiram nodding.

"Of course," Will said standing up with them.

Once the Berry men went to Rachel's room, Will found himself in the middle of the waiting room. He wasn't sure what to do, but he was going to be staying.

"Mr. Schue?" Finn said while lightly tapping on his shoulder. Will turned around and gave Finn his attention.

"Can I talk to you? In private?" he added with a look of concern and worry.

"Sure, Finn. Let's go down to the cafeteria," Will said leading the way to the elevator. When they were in the elevator, Will couldn't help but wonder what had Finn so bothered. Then again, Finn was just as affected by the accident as him. Rachel had told him that she was in love with him when she really wasn't. He could see how he would be confused and he just didn't know how to be comforting in this situation.

The elevator reached the cafeteria and Will, stepping out first, led them to an empty table.

"What's up, Finn?" Will asked, deciding to take the first step after sitting down.

"It's just, I don't really know actually," Finn said and Will looked up with concern. Will still cared for the boy even after everything that had happened and would try his best to help him.

"Well, why don't you start with what's bothering you?" Will asked when he had a fairly good idea of what was bothering him already.

"What's bothering me is the fact that Rachel thinks she is in love with me. I know I should be happy and all but I can't be because I know she really isn't," Finn said with sadness and slight anger. Will could tell he had been holding this in for a while as Finn let out a deep sigh. "It's not fair either. I want to be with Rachel but not like this," Finn added with tears forming in his eyes.

Will didn't know what to say. He knew this talk would be awkward considering the way things were but he wasn't expecting this. He didn't know how to comfort him when he was talking about his girlfriend wanting to be with him, so he just stuck to the basics.

"I know it's hard, Finn, but we just have to think positive," Will said.

"How can we think positive when half of her memory is gone? I mean, she doesn't even remember you," Finn said now getting even angrier. He didn't understand how everyone could be acting so calm about Rachel's memory. What if she never got it back? Didn't that bother anyone?

"Finn, it's hard. We all are suffering, but what you need to understand is that negativity won't help anything. If anything it will make it worse. I know Rachel doesn't remember me, but I will do everything in my power to make sure she does because she can't forget me forever. We have been through too much," Will said slightly yelling at Finn's pity party. Finn looked at him confused. He thought Mr. Schuester would have been the one person to help him, not yell at him and what did he mean by too much?

Will saw his look and immediately felt guilty. The conversation had taken a turn for the worst.

"I'm sorry, Finn. I didn't mean to yell, it's just you aren't the only one who is affected by this," Will said.

"What do you mean too much?" Finn asked completely overlooking his apology.

"What?" Will asked confused.

"You said that you had been through too much with Rachel. What is that supposed to mean?" Finn asked getting angry again. Will's face immediately changed again. How could he be so stupid and let his emotions slip out? He was going to tell Shelby but not Finn. He didn't know what Finn would do and he quickly tried to cover up his mistake.

"It's nothing, Finn. I just meant that we have been through a lot in glee club," Will said thinking of an excuse. Finn just stared at him, trying to read his thoughts. When he couldn't tell if that was the truth or not, he let it go.

"I'm going to go back up to the waiting room," Finn said. Will nodded at him and watched him walk away to the elevator, alone.

Will sat in his chair, thinking about what he had almost revealed. He knew Finn was hurting but so was he, he just couldn't tell him that though.

"Mr. Schue?" a voice asked from behind. Will turned around and saw Puck and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Puck? How long have you been down here?" Will asked confused.

"Not long, only to just hear the end of your conversation. Ms. Pillsbury wanted me check where you went because she was going home soon," Puck explained.

"Oh, well, I'll be up in a minute," Will said.

"You know, Mr. Schue? I think I know what your problem is," Puck started to say as Will just stared at him.

"You do?" Will asked casually.

"Yep, I'm into cougars myself so I could see how you would be the other way around," he said calmly with a slight smirk. Will's eyes widened to a point where they couldn't get any bigger.

"I don't get what you mean," Will said continuing to play along. He didn't necessarily want to tell Puck about his relationship with Rachel either. Even though he was involved with Shelby, it didn't seem right to tell Puck. He was just a kid and Will thought that telling an adult his own age would be more suitable.

"You know what I mean," Puck said. He wanted to hear Will say it before he could come out with it.

"Puck, I don't think this conversation is appropriate," Will said feeling the awkwardness creep in. He had the sudden urge to leave but Puck kept talking.

"I'm just trying to help," he said.

"Well thank you for your concern but, I'm alright. If you will excuse me, I need to speak with Emma," Will said trying to leave the conversation as soon as possible.

"Alright, go, but when you finally break and want to tell someone, don't come looking for me," Puck said as he took off toward the exit.

Will sighed as he headed back to the elevator. _How did Puck know? _Will thought to himself in the elevator. _Rachel and I were very careful about our relationship. It doesn't make sense. _Will continued to ponder all the way back up to Rachel's floor.

When Will got out, the only people left in the waiting room were the Berry men, Shelby, and Finn.

"Where is Emma?" Will asked confused as Puck said she was still there.

"She went home. She was waiting for you, but she had a call, so she had to leave," Shelby explained.

"Oh," was all Will could say as he thought about how he was going to get home.

"I'm giving you a ride, Will," Shelby said noticing his confusion. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yeah," Will said still slightly confused.

Will said his good byes and said he would be back up as soon as possible. Shelby joined him in the elevator and Will prepared for an awkward ride home.

Shelby led Will to her car. She quickly pulled out of the hospital and headed to Will's apartment. The car ride was silent, except for the soft music that could be heard on the radio. It wasn't until Will noticed the picture of Beth on the dashboard that Will realized she wasn't with Shelby.

"Shelby? Where is Beth?" he asked.

"I decided to give Quinn another chance and let her watch her for a couple of hours. That is why she left early," she explained.

"That was very forgiving of you," Will said slightly surprised.

"What do you mean, forgiving?" Shelby asked confused.

"Well, it's just that I heard Quinn was going to turn you in for sleeping with Puck," Will casually said. Maybe if he brought it up casually, she wouldn't be as alarmed when he told her.

"She was but, I realized what I did was wrong, and turned myself in," Shelby explained.

"That must have been hard," Will said as he thought about what it would be like if he had to turn himself in.

"It was. Why are you so interested in what happened?" Shelby curiously asked.

"I was just curious," Will said. Silence crept back into the car as Shelby reached Will's apartment complex. She turned off her car and looked over at Will who seemed interested in the loose string on his shirt.

"Is something wrong, Will?" she asked.

"No, nothing," Will said. He didn't know why he couldn't just tell her, but then again there was no way of knowing how she would react. Shelby continued to look at him, knowing that something was going on.

"Alright," Will said defeated. "I do have something I need to say but I don't want to do it here. Can you come up to my apartment?" Will asked nervously. Shelby looked at him confused, but agreed.

"Yes," she said as she got out of her car.

She followed Will up to his apartment and wondered just how bad what he was going to tell her actually was.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So here is chapter six! I'm sorry for the lack of updates on both of my stories. School has started and I have been trying to get a job which leaves me little time to write. However, with the long weekend I decided to try and update both stories. Please read and review, for I appreciate feedback. Happy reading!**

Once at the door to his apartment, Will searched his pockets for his keys. After several minutes, he finally found them and with a couple of fumbles of twisting and turning, the door finally opened.

Shelby gave him a small smile as he let her into his apartment. She could tell he was nervous by the way his hands shook when opening the door.

She took her coat off and made her way over to his couch, a place she hadn't been to in two years. The memory of their almost affair flashed back in her mind as she sat down in the same place. She shook the memory out of her head as this was clearly not the direction this conversation was planning to go.

Will walked into the living room after hanging up their coats and took a seat next to her on the couch. He noticed her uneasiness and offered her a drink to make things lighter.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked, hoping to stall time as well. He was nervous about telling the truth and was developing second thoughts. He and Shelby were on good terms but this situation may be too much for her to handle and for him. She was Rachel's biological mom after all. He hadn't been thinking straight for the past two days, and seeing her on his couch made his mind a bit clearer.

"I'm okay, thank you though," Shelby politely responded, causing Will to give a slight frown. He quickly tried to think of something else, but she beat him to it.

"So, Will, what's going on with you?" Shelby asked before he had a chance to even back out.

"Nothing, I'm fine," Will said, putting on a fake smile. If he showed no emotion, maybe he would come off as normal.

"Really? You took me up to your apartment to tell me that you are fine?" Shelby asked, slightly frustrated. She wanted to help him, but if he wasn't going to tell her anything, she had better things to do, like take care of Beth.

"Well, no, but," Will started to say but stopped. His thoughts were making him crazy and he didn't know what to do. Shelby looked at him puzzled. After a couple minutes of silence, she thought about getting up and leaving, but her mind had a different idea as it continued to pry.

"Will, I know we have had our differences, but you can talk to me," Shelby said, trying to get something out of him. Her controlling instincts were taking over, something she tried to improve on, but at the moment was failing. Will slightly smiled at her and although he was touched about her words, he didn't think it was enough to where he would tell her anything.

"Trust me, I really want to talk to you but I just don't think I'm ready," Will said causing Shelby's look of comfort to turn into a sigh.

"It can't be that bad, whatever you are hiding," Shelby said trying to ease the problem out of him, although she was sure it more than likely wouldn't work.

"I wouldn't say bad, just looked down upon," Will said choosing his words carefully. He wasn't going to give any information that wasn't needed. He didn't even want to say anything at all, but he couldn't help himself.

"Well, I know what it is like to be looked down upon by people in regards to your reputation," Shelby said as she remembered her departure back to New York and how ashamed she felt about what she did with Puck.

"I know, and that's why I thought you would be a good person to talk to. It's just, this situation I am in, is not normal," Will said trying to make her see that it wasn't her that was the problem, it was him.

"Go on," Shelby urged, feeling a bit more confident that Will was going to break and tell him her problem.

"I, I really don't think I should. I'm sorry," Will said as he hung his head low, avoiding eye contact.

"Well, when you want to talk to me, you know where to find me," Shelby said defeated as she stood up to leave. Will nodded at her as he ran a hand through his hair. He felt like a jerk for bringing her up to his apartment but in reality, he had been dealing with this for only two days. He knew he could hold on longer and get through this without telling anyone. He needed to, not only for him, but for them.

A ringing in the distance, shook away the silence in the room as Shelby was getting ready to leave.

"I'm sorry, Will, that's my cell," she said as she pulled it out of her pocket. Will sighed to himself and blessed whoever had called her. It was a subject change, and one was desperately needed. The air in the room had grown thick with awkwardness and tension and Will desperately wanted to be alone before he lost all ability to control his emotions.

"I'll be there in ten," Shelby said as she hung up. Will looked over in concern and wondered if there was an emergency.

"What's wrong?" he asked, slightly worried.

"It's Beth, Quinn said she is sick and feels warm. I need to go home and take care of her," Shelby frantically explained as she was up and rushing to the door.

"I hope she is okay," Will said as he walked with her, opening the door.

"I'm sure she is fine, but I would like to make sure. I'm sorry for that interrupting us, Will," Shelby said as she slipped her coat on.

"It's okay, I'm sorry for dragging you up here," he said with a sigh.

"It's okay, you need more time to deal with whatever you are dealing with," Shelby said as Will looked at her. "Well, I have to go, see you at the hospital tomorrow?" Shelby asked once he hadn't responded.

"Of course," Will replied. He waved goodbye as he watched her rush towards the elevator of the building. Once she was out of sight and in the elevator, Will headed back inside.

_What was I thinking?_ Will thought as he sat down in front of the television screen while running a hand through his hair. _That could have been a horrible mistake,_ Will continued to think to himself as he mindlessly flipped through the channels. _Pull it together Will, it has only been two days,_ he said as he continued to mentally scold himself.

After Will had found something entertaining enough to keep his thoughts of Shelby away, he felt his eyes get heavy. He found himself slowly opening and closing them as he turned his position on the couch to a horizontal one. He had no effort to walk to his bedroom, so he pulled the blanket from behind the couch and lazily threw it over him. In a matter of minutes, he was asleep.

Sunday morning rolled around as Will slept in longer than he normally did. The past few days had left him with little sleep and the emotional strain he was feeling wasn't helping.

He awoke and found himself on his couch with his television still on. He slowly got up and strolled into his bedroom to change and make something of the day.

When he was done showering and shaving, he realized that it was Sunday and that he should be going to school tomorrow. He however, didn't know if he was ready to go back. He didn't think he was emotionally stable yet to teach his students and spend endless hours grading papers. He needed more time to adjust back to his normal life and hopefully Principal Figgins would understand. Then it hit him, he never once informed Figgins on what had been going on, surely he would wonder what happened to his Spanish teacher and student.

He went over to his house phone and made a quick call to the school, hoping to catch Figgins and talk to him. He was grateful when he picked up since it was a Sunday after all.

"Principal Figgins," Will said sounding as happy as he could.

"William, I'm so happy to hear from you," he said happily with his thick accent showing through.

"Ms. Pillsbury has informed me on what has happened. I was going to call but only found out yesterday afternoon from her when she came by the school," Figgins explained.

Will held the phone with a dumbstruck look on his face. Emma. That was why she had left early yesterday, to help him. She was always looking out for him and his best interests. It was one of the things that he loved about her and was surprised that she was still willing to help him.

"William, are you there? Figgins shouted, stirring him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, I'm here," Will said quickly.

"Listen, Will, you take all the time you need to recover. I don't want you to worry about teaching lessons and grading papers. I want you in full recovery physically and emotionally," Figgins explained.

"Thank you sir, that means a lot to me. I'm recovering quickly but as you know Rachel is not," Will replied.

"Yes, I'm glad, and as for Ms. Berry I'm gratefully sorry for her loss. Please tell her father's that I send my deepest condolences and wish a full recovery," he said sadly.

"I will most definitely tell her and her father's. She will be coming back to school soon though and I think we should make this the most comfortable environment that we can for her," Will said expressing his concern.

"Yes, of course. We will make her feel right at home," he said happily.

"Great, well, thank you for your time," Will said as Figgins said his goodbye.

When Will hung up the phone, he made his way over the kitchen table. He pulled out a chair and sat down. His back was still sore and it hurt to stand for long periods of time. As he sat, his mind drifted toward Emma. He never thought that Emma would still look out for him after everything that he had put her through, but she did. She surprised him and was grateful that she didn't hate him. After everything that they had been through, Will still liked to think of Emma as a close friend and he was glad to see that she thought of him the same way too.

Will continued to sit in the chair and stair and the mahogany table in front of him. It was only when the doorbell rang, that he realized where he had been sitting for the past hour.

He quickly walked over to the door and opened it with caution. He wasn't expecting anyone, especially early in the morning.

"Emma," Will said as the door swung fully open.

"Will, hi," Emma said casually. Will took in her appearance. Emma was defiantly a morning person. She had a wide smile and was wearing bright enough clothing to where she could be seen a mile away.

"Can I come in?" she asked as she noticed the shock on his face. Will nodded and stepped out of the way, granting her full access to his apartment.

"So, what brings you by my apartment?" Will asked curiously.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. We didn't get to talk much yesterday and I wanted to make sure you were all right," Emma said with concern etched on her face.

"Thank you, Emma, for calling," Will said.

"You're welcome. I just thought that you were under a lot of stress and I wanted to help. I, I still care about you, Will," Emma said as she moved closer to him on the couch.

Will moved to the side to offer more room for her. She sat down next to him and turned her whole body in his direction. She was staring at him waiting for a response as he just looked nervously around the room.

He was feeling nervous and awkward but he didn't know why. It was just Emma and all she did was help him with work. He noticed how intense her gaze was on him and it made him tense. He looked away to find interest in something else in the room. Why he was acting this way, he didn't know. Maybe he was tired of the loneliness that had appeared in his life two days ago and just wanted a friend.

He missed Rachel more than he realized and was suddenly interested in seeing her in the hospital.

"Why don't we go see Rachel, Emma?" Will asked. He saw her smile turn to a frown and he wondered what she was planning.

"Will, I think you need a break. You have been in that hospital for the past two days. It's not good for you and you need your rest just as much as Rachel," Emma declared. Will stared at her in awe of how she could even suggest that.

"What's wrong with going to the hospital?" Will asked. He didn't need a rest. He felt almost back to normal, even if his back ached a bit.

"You need time to yourself, going there will only stress you out more. I just want you to relax, Will," Emma said.

"I'm completely relaxed, Emma. What will make me more stressed is sitting here all day doing nothing while Rachel is stuck in the hospital," Will said.

"Rachel will be there tomorrow. I want you to take care of yourself. You are always looking out for others, but never for yourself," Emma explained.

"I want to help you, Will, and I already called her dad's and told them that you decided to take it easy today. They understood," she added. Will stared at her, unable to say anything. This was a side of Emma that he had rarely seen. She was been aggressive and Will was unsure of how he would get his way with this one.

"I appreciate it, Emma, but I really don't want to sit at home all day," Will said.

"Luckily, I have planned for that," Emma said as she smiled at him. She tried not to show too much for she thought it would show her true feelings for him. Emma was desperate to help Will in anyway. She longed for him to feel the way he used to feel when he looked at her. They were happy once, they could be happy again and this was the first step for Emma to get him back.

"You aren't going to let this go, are you?" he asked.

"No," Emma said short and to the point. She wasn't going to be a push over this time.

"Fine, I guess I could use a day to gather my thoughts," Will said with a defeated sigh.

"Great, I have the whole day planned," Emma smiled as she got her purse. She came back and pulled out multiple dvds of every genre, mostly musicals though. She found Singing in the Rain and put it in his player. Will smiled for a moment as his favorite movie started to role the opening credits, and he thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to sit at home for the day.

After Singing in the Rain, they watched a few more movies and Emma made them lunch. When lunch was done and over with, they sat back on the couch and talked. It had been awhile since they had really talked to each other and it felt nice to Will to be able to talk about things that didn't revolve around hospitals. The past two days had been more interaction they had since the breakup.

"So, Emma, are you seeing anyone?" he asked surprisingly.

"No, no, I'm not," Emma said quietly as she folded her hands in her lap. Will stared at her and noticed how sad she looked. Maybe it was because she wasn't over the breakup and she hadn't moved on. Maybe she was doing all of this for closure and to finally be friends again. Will had only hoped it was for the later one.

"No big deal, no need to rush into things," Will said with a chuckle, even though he had started dating Rachel shortly after the ending of the engagement.

"What about you?" Emma asked. "You seem happier at school," she added.

"No, I'm not seeing anyone either. I've just been focusing on glee club," Will said leaving any and all information about Rachel out of the conversation.

There was a silence in the room as Emma sat and stared at him as he looked down at his folded hands in his lap.

"I, I miss you, Will," Emma finally said. Will looked up at her with a smile. In truth, he had missed her too but little did he know that her feelings ran much deeper than friendship.

"I've missed you too, Em. It's so good to be able to talk again," Will said. "It's nice to know that we can still count on each other," he added.

"It is. I would still do anything for you, Will," Emma said. "Even make you happy again," she said surprising herself. Will whipped his head up quickly, not sure if he heard right. Emma wasn't hurting for closure, she was hurting for him and before he could respond, he felt her lips pressed on his. It was quick and she pulled away before he had the chance to do it himself.

"Em, I, I don't know what to say," Will said because he truly didn't know what to say. He wasn't expecting her to kiss him at all.

"I've missed us being together, Will. I think we have spent enough time apart, don't you?" she asked with hope in her voice. Will stared at her desperately. He had to say something but what he needed to say was going to break her heart again.

"Listen, Emma, I know we took a break from each other and I'm glad that we are friends again, but, I don't think I can go back to how things were," Will explained as gently as he could.

"I'm happy how life has been, until recently," he added.

"I understand, Will. I'm sorry for doing that," Emma said as she felt hot tears run down her face. "I think I should go," she said as she quickly got up and rushed to the door.

"Emma, you don't have to leave," he said but maybe it was better that she did leave.

"I'm fine, Will. I'll talk to you later, or not," she said as she shut the door behind her. It closed with a loud thud as Will stood in the entry way.

The silence in the room was deafening. All that could be heard was a slight buzz from the refrigerator. Will didn't know what to think, as he continued to stand in the same place. He shook his head and let out a sigh. He could get through this, he thought. It had only been two days since the accident, but to him, it felt like a lifetime had passed. He hoped things would get better from here, but only time would truly tell if it really could.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey everybody! It's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm sorry for the long delay but here is the next chapter. I'm not sure if anyone is still interested in this story, but for those of you who are, I hope you like it. I plan on finishing the story when I have the time but as for now, I hope I can get more updates out. Please read and review to let me know what you think of it!**

A week had passed and Will was growing restless. He had been visiting Rachel almost every day in the hospital before she was able to be released at the end of the week. He wanted her to be familiar with him so she wouldn't be frightened when she returned to school. She was slowly making progress but not as much as Will had wanted. She was beginning to understand that he was her teacher and that he ran the glee club that she was a star performer in.

Every time he would visit her, he would remind her of what they had previously talked about. Will didn't dare mention their relationship though. It was clear that it still didn't ring a bell in her head, which made him more anxious by the day. With Emma kissing him at his apartment the other day, he didn't know what he wanted anymore.

He of course wanted Rachel, but with her progress he didn't know if anything would be the same between them again. Emma, on the other hand, had practically thrown herself at him, asking him to take her back. He was confused and didn't know what to do, but with each day Rachel started to fade away while Emma grew.

Will was on his way to the hospital. It was supposed to be the day that Rachel would be discharged and released to go home.

He waited impatiently in the elevator as it finally made its way to Rachel's floor. When he stepped out, all the usual visitors where there, waiting patiently in the waiting room. He noticed her fathers in the corner, Finn, Puck, Mercedes, Quinn, Santana and the rest of the glee club huddled together in a group, and Emma and Shelby quietly chatting to each other.

Emma spotted him and excused herself from Shelby.

"Will, how are you today?" she asked.

"I'm okay, thanks. How about you?" he asked.

"Good, we are just waiting for the doctor's official word about Rachel's release," Emma explained.

"How long before we know?" Will asked.

"It shouldn't be long. Why don't you come sit with Shelby and I?" Emma asked making her way towards the chairs again. Will followed slowly behind. He hadn't spoken much to Shelby since she came to his apartment and he made himself look like a fool. Ever since then, she had been eyeing him strangely and giving him concerned stares.

"Hi, Will. How are you?" Shelby asked.

"Fine, thanks," Will said taking the middle seat that Emma had left open for him. He sat down and rubbed his hands on his jeans as he adjusted his position.

"Are you sure? You seem uncomfortable," Shelby asked, eying him suspiciously.

"I'm fine, really," Will said as he stopped moving and let out a breath. Just as he was situated between the two ladies, Finn came over.

"Mr. Schue? Can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Sure, Finn," Will said as he got up, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Will followed Finn away from everybody and down to a private waiting room on the floor below.

"What's wrong, Finn?" Will asked.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for lashing out at you a couple days ago. It wasn't fair and you were just trying to help me," Finn said as he took a seat.

"It's not your fault, Finn. I over reacted. You just wanted some advice and I took it out of control," Will said. He had been meaning to apologize for his behavior to Finn but couldn't find a right time.

"So, does this mean we are okay?" Finn asked.

"Of course, Finn, I could never continue to be mad at you. I've been meaning to talk to you but just couldn't find the right words," Will explained.

"It's okay, Mr. Schue. I know you have been under a lot of stress, with the accident and all," Finn said. There was a pause as Will shook his head.

"How, did it happen?" Finn asked. Will looked up, confused. He hadn't told anyone, except her father's and Emma, the truth. The New Directions only knew that it was a car accident.

"I mean, you don't have to tell me. We were just curious," he added.

"No, it's alright," Will said. He took a deep breath and continued.

"We were driving after glee practice. We were listening to the radio. A song came on that was Rachel's favorite and I just got lost in her voice. It was so pure that I couldn't look away from her. I ran a stop sign, and overcorrected my car. We went off the road and into a ditch. The next thing I know, I'm pulling us both out of the car and screaming for help," Will said as he tried not to cry. He noticed Finn looking at him, begging for him to continue.

"When I woke up, I was here, in the hospital," Will said as he finished. Finn looked at him with concern and puzzlement.

"Mr. Schue, I don't know what to say," Finn said at a loss for words.

"It's okay. What I did was stupid and entirely my fault," Will explained.

"It's not your fault," Finn tried to say but was cut off.

"No, it is. I had control of the car, I lost control of the car and put us in danger," Will said as he felt a tear escape.

"I, I just wish that I could be in Rachel's spot, so everybody wouldn't be hurting right now," Will said. Although he had never said those words out loud, he had thought them every day. If only Rachel was driving and he was in the passenger seat.

"Mr. Schuester, you don't mean that," Finn said.

"I do, Finn. I wish I could have taken her place," Will said as more tears began to fall out of his eyes.

"I'm sorry you feel that way Mr. Schue because we would all care for you if it was the other way around. Maybe you need to talk to Ms. Pillsbury, she is a counselor," Finn said as he began to stand up.

"Yeah, maybe. I'm sorry for loading this all onto you, Finn. It's not right," Will said standing up as well.

"It's okay. I just don't know how to help you," he said while walking towards the elevator.

"I really think that Ms. Pillsbury could. She still cares about you, you know?" Finn said stepping into the elevator.

"I know she does, trust me, I know," Will said remembering her kiss.

The rest of the way back to Rachel's waiting room was quick, with it only being one floor above. When they got out, Finn went over to the rest of The New Directions that were still there, while Will went over to Emma.

"Have you heard?" he asked.

"Not yet, but the nurse said it could be any minute," Emma said grabbing his hand. He looked at her and smiled as she gently squeezed it.

"Hey, Emma? Can we talk? Not now, but later?" Will asked. Emma looked at him with a smile.

"Of course, Will. I always have time to talk," she said. He smiled at her and thought that maybe Finns advice wouldn't be so bad in taking.

"Mr. and Mr. Berry?" a doctor asked from around the corner.

"Yes?" both men said in unison.

"Well as you know, today we ran our last round of tests for Rachel," the doctor explained.

"Yes, we know. What are the results?" Hiram asked.

"Can she come home and back to school?" Leroy asked.

"I'm pleased to tell you that, yes, Rachel can go home and return to school. Her tests are stable enough to where she can learn to function in everyday activities again," the doctor said.

"Thank goodness," both the Berry men said as the New Directions members clapped. Will smiled as well as Emma and held her hand tighter.

"Rachel is changing so when she is done and the papers are signed, you may go home," the doctor said.

"Thank you," Hiram said.

"What do we do to make progress happen for Rachel's memory while at home?" Leroy asked.

"Just try to put her around things that she may remember from previous months, such as friends, music, family, even teachers, anything that could help trigger her memory," the doctor explained.

Will's face light up a bit at the word teacher. He was a part of Rachel's life, which meant that he had to do everything and anything to trigger her memory.

"Just call if you need any help. We will have a nurse on standby," the doctor said as he walked away.

Once he had left, everyone began to chat amongst themselves. Will gathered the courage to speak to her fathers.

"Hiram and Leroy, I'm so happy and grateful to hear of Rachel's release. I just want you to know that I will do everything I can while at school to make Rachel remember," Will said.

"Thank you, Mr. Schuester. It's relieving to know that Rachel is recovering and will be back to normal soon. We are glad that she will have someone like you that can help her adjust back to school life," Hiram said.

"Yes, well me and the Glee club are here for her and will do anything," Will said reassuring them.

"Um, dad, daddy?" a voice from behind them quietly whispered.

"Rachel, are you ready to go?" Leroy asked as he gave her a hug.

"I think so," Rachel said. She looked around the room, a bit unsure. She spotted The New Directions and smiled.

"Rachel, we can't wait to have you back in glee," Finn said with everyone nodding.

Rachel smiled and went over to give Finn a hug. She then scanned her eyes to Emma and Shelby and then finally to Will. His face fell when he saw her hug him but put on a smile for her.

She smiled at him and for a minute Will thought that maybe she was remembering them together, but he knew that wasn't the case.

"Rachel, we will do everything to help you adjust back to school. Just ask any of us for help and we will gladly help," Will said. He thought about reaching out to her and giving her a hug himself, but remembered all of the eyes on him.

"Thank you everyone. I'll do my best to remember everything," Rachel said.

"Can we go home?" Rachel asked, as she looked back to her dad's.

"Of course, thank you everyone for coming by and showing your support and kind nature," Hiram said.

"It's nice to know that Rachel has friends that care so much," Leroy said.

"Come on, sweetie," Leroy said grabbing her hand, with Hiram's hand on her shoulder.

"See you all Monday in glee club," Rachel said as she turned towards the elevator.

After Rachel and her dads were gone, everyone started gathering their things to leave. Will stood in the same spot, not realizing her hadn't moved.

"Bye, Mr. Schue," the kids said to him.

"Bye guys, see you Monday," he replied back.

"Will? Did you want to talk?" Emma asked as she grabbed his attention. Will stared at her, forgetting that he had asked to talk to her.

"Um sure," he said. "How about you meet me at my apartment in an hour?" he asked.

"Okay, see you then," Emma said as she turned to leave.

Will quickly grabbed his coat and slipped it on as he gathered his keys. He made his way to the elevator and wondered what he was going to tell Emma. Did he want to be with her after everything he had with Rachel and everything he still had with Rachel? He didn't know, but he needed to decide something quick.

He found his car in the parking garage and quickly made his way back to his apartment. Once he got home, he tidied up his place. It had been a mess since the accident, since he didn't have much time to clean.

In an hour, Emma was ringing his doorbell. He walked over and opened the door.

"Emma, hi," Will said.

"Hi, Will," Emma said as she stepped into his apartment and towards the couch. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" Emma asked as silence crept into the room.

"Well, to be honest, I don't really know. I've been confused about my feelings towards you ever since you kissed me. I need to know what that was," Will stated.

"Oh wow, um," Emma stumbled. "It was just a spur of the moment thing," Emma said in a rush, trying not to let the tears escape her eyes. She had already made a fool of herself by kissing him when she knew he didn't like her anymore, she didn't need to add tears.

"Emma, you can tell me the truth," Will said.

"That's the truth, Will. It didn't mean anything," Emma said trying to reassure him and herself.

"Okay, I believe you," Will said. He didn't know if he should be disappointed or relieved but it didn't matter, because all he felt was the tension and awkwardness that had crept into the room.

"Well if that was all you wanted to talk about, I should probably go," Emma said noticing the silence.

"Yeah, let me walk you out," Will said as he led her to the door.

"I hope we can be friends, Will," Emma said.

"Of course," he replied.

"See you Monday," Emma said as she walked away and let the tears out. She had her chance to tell Will the truth but she blew it. She didn't want to get hurt and she knew that he didn't feel the same way about her. He made that clear when she kissed him.

Will walked back into his apartment and headed to his bedroom. It was still slightly early but with the day's events, he was exhausted. He pulled back the covers and changed into something more comfortable. He laid in bed thinking about Monday and how it would turn out. Rachel was coming back to school and into his life. This was his chance to remind her of what they had. He couldn't give up on her because that wasn't who he was.

After finally falling asleep, he woke up late in the morning the next day. Will spent the rest of the weekend planning a welcome back number for the New Directions to perform for Rachel. He had even thought of planning a personal song but thought it would be too soon.

Monday morning rolled around and he was anxious. Glee club was after school but he would see Rachel before then.

He was in his office gathering papers for his History class when he heard a soft cry through his door.

Curious, he grabbed his papers and headed into the choir room. His heart started to break as he saw Rachel sitting there with a tissue in her hand dabbing her eyes.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" Will asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine. I didn't mean to bother you," she said as she quickly got up.

"Rachel, wait," Will said. She stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"What's wrong?" he asked again.

"It's just being back here is so overwhelming. It's like I don't even know this place anymore. I remember it was my school, but it's just so hard to get back into routine when I don't remember hardly anything from my classes," she said as she sat back down.

"Hey, I know it's hard," Will said in his best comforting voice. "But you will make it. The Rachel Berry I knew was never a quitter," Will said squeezing her arm gently.

"Thanks, Mr. Schue. My parents were right. I can always talk to you," she said as she slightly smiled. The bell for first period rang and Rachel quickly grabbed her bag.

"Rachel, if you need any help, come see me. If not, remember that Glee is this afternoon," Will said as she was leaving the room.

"Thanks Mr. Schue," Rachel said with a wave.

Will smiled but it didn't last long as his mind began to think about the trouble Rachel was going through. He then made it his priority to make glee practice special enough to take the worry away from her and bring back the joy she once had.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Well I'm back with another chapter. Hope you all like it. Please read and review! Hope everyone had a great holiday season!**

Will sighed as he watched Rachel walk out of the choir room. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for her to be in a place you once knew and now vaguely remembered anything about it.

He shook his head though and grabbed his bag to head to his history class room. It was his first time back in his classroom since the accident and he was a little nervous. He hadn't exactly prepared for a lesson plan but figured a good review session of when he was gone couldn't hurt.

The first bunch of kids started to pile in the room and took their seats. Will calmed down a bit when Finn, Mike and Mercedes walked in. Their smiles reminded him that he wasn't alone in this still difficult time he was going through.

Will began his lesson with a few surprised looks on his student's faces, happy to see their teacher was back.

The lesson was slowly coming to an end and Will let them go five minutes early. He asked for Finn to hang back so he could get an update on Rachel.

"So Finn, have you seen Rachel today?" Will casually asked.

"Once, it was really quick this morning though. She was walking out of the choir room. She seemed a bit out of it," Finn explained. Will realized that must have been when she walked out after their conversation.

"Yeah, that was when she was talking to me. She was crying and I was trying to comfort her," Will said. Finn nodded at him in understanding.

"What are we going to do about this, Mr. Schue?" Finn asked as worry crept on his face. Will studied his face before he answered. He saw the worry etched in. This was just as troubling for Finn as it was for him.

"I honestly don't know, but we have to be supportive. We have to make glee club the best place for her so even if she doesn't remember, she will be happy singing a solo," Will said as he tried to force a smile on his face. He hated no being able to do anything more for Rachel.

"Yeah okay, well I got to go Mr. Schue. See you later in glee club," Finn said as he headed towards the door.

"Finn?" Will called out as he was just about in the hallway.

"Yeah?" he answered back, head sticking in.

"Keep an eye on her please?" Will asked. He wasn't always going to be around Rachel, but he knew that Finn would be considering that Rachel thought she was in love with him.

"You can count on it," Finn said as he smiled and left.

After Finn was gone, Will sat behind his desk. He looked at the clock and gathered his things, realizing he had time to go to the choir room.

As he walked through the hallway, he heard it. A soft but gradually growing sound that was coming from the choir room. He slowed his pace and intently listened. It was Rachel. He knew her voice anywhere. He smiled the first meaningful smile in a long time as he realized that this was the first time that Rachel had sung since her accident.

He stopped himself from barging in and instead listened outside. He knew that he should have gone in and told her to go to class but he couldn't. He instead smiled and just listened to the words coming out of the choir room and into the hallway.

After a couple of minutes, the sound stopped and Will came to the conclusion that she was done with her song. He then took the opportunity to casually walk in.

"Mr. Schue. I'm so sorry. I know I should be in class but," Rachel explained as Will cut her off.

"Rachel, it's okay. I'm not mad at you. I'm actually very happy," Will said as he came over to her by the piano.

"Why?" she asked confused.

"That was the first time I have heard you sing since the accident," Will said, pleased. Rachel smiled as the realization hit her.

"It is isn't it?" she asked and Will nodded his head.

"I know this may sound silly but when I sing, I forget all my troubles and I can just be me," Rachel explained. "Is that crazy of me to think that way?" she asked.

"No, never, that is exactly what Rachel Berry would have said before the accident," Will said with a smiled.

"Maybe this is a good sign. Maybe I'm getting more of my memory back," she said as a smile crept on her face.

"Let's hope," Will said with encouragement.

"Well, I'll get out of your way," Rachel said as she walked to grab her bag off of the floor.

"See you in glee, Rachel," Will said. Rachel smiled at him as she walked out of the room a bit happier than before.

As Will was about to set his bag down, he heard a shriek and he rushed out to see what the commotion was.

There on the floor, sat Rachel in a puddle of purple slushy. Two football players where walking away and laughing at their mess.

"Hey Berry, maybe that will help you remember!" Azimio shouted.

"Yeah, a nice cold slushy should remind you of your place here," the other commented.

"Excuse me gentlemen," Will shouted as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Hey Schuester," Azimio said like he did nothing wrong.

"Detention for the next week, for both of you, lunch and after school," Will said.

"What? That's totally unfair," they both said.

"It's completely fair. I will not allow students in this school to behave this way, especially when one is recovering from an accident," Will stated.

"Now get on out of here before I give you a harder punishment," Will said as the boys ran away. Will watched them run away as his face turned to disgust. He then remembered Rachel sitting on the floor in a pile of purple slushy.

"Rachel, are you alright?" Will asked as he knelt down next to her.

"I remember," Rachel whispered. Will looked at her shocked.

"What?" Will asked making sure he heard right.

"The way the purple slushy felt when glee was just starting. We were the targets to everyone in the school," Rachel said as the purple slush began to melt down her face.

"It's not as bad as it used to be," Will started to say. The slushies' had almost stopped but then again there were always those willing to start it again.

"I need to go change," Rachel said as she started to get up. Will held her arm so she wouldn't slip.

"Rachel, let me help you," Will offered. He wanted to be there for her in her time of need but she refused, probably too embarrassed to have her teacher help her.

"No, I'm fine," Rachel said as the tears started to swell in her eyes.

"Please, I can help," Will offered again.

"No really. I have a change of clothes in my locker," Rachel said.

"Okay, I'm sorry Rachel," Will said as his face creased with worry. Rachel just looked at him and gave him a small smile and a shake of the head. She then proceeded to walk down the hallway and around the corner till she was out of sight.

Will sighed to himself and then angrily swung his fist in the air. Why did this have to happen to Rachel? Especially when she was happy moments ago? It pained Will to see her so fragile and he not be able to comfort her the way he used to. All he wanted was to tell her that he would always be there for her and all he wanted was for her to believe it.

He really decided that he couldn't keep his thoughts to himself any longer and needed some advice. He knew exactly the one person who could give it to him. He headed in the direction of Emma's office and was glad to see that she was alone at her desk. He knocked quietly outside on the glass window and she smiled.

"Will," Emma said as Will stepped in.

"What can I help you with?" Emma asked a bit confused. She thought that Will would never come ask for advice after their talk the other day. She didn't know where she stood with him anymore. She kissed him but when he wanted the meaning behind it, she panicked and said it was nothing. Now, she didn't know where they were in their relationship or friendship, but she could tell that Will needed some serious guidance, so she remained professional.

"I just don't know what to do about Rachel," Will admitted as he sunk in the chair, forgetting the awkwardness that was between them. He needed advice and Emma was the best person to give him that.

"What do you mean? Are things not going well for her on her first day back?" Emma asked. She had yet to see Rachel at all so she had no information on her wellbeing.

"Well it was going fine, but there is always someone out there to ready to ruin it," Will explained.

"What do you mean? I don't understand," Emma asked, confused. She knew the students at the school could sometimes be cruel, especially to the glee kids, but she didn't think any of them would do anything severe to one who was recovering.

"I heard her singing and she was finally happy, but seconds later she had to get hit with a slushy," Will said as he tried not to overreact his emotions. He wanted to remain professional in front of Emma and was going to try his best.

"That's terrible," Emma said in shock. "What happened?" Emma asked.

"I tried to help her but she wouldn't let me and I guess this is where my problem is," Will stated. "I want to be able to help her but I don't know how and I don't think she wants me to," Will said with disappointed.

"Well, Will, you can't force her into something she doesn't want. This is still all so confusing for her. I mean being back and having to readjust. It has to be hard," Emma explained as best she could.

"I know all that. I just want to be there for her. I feel helpless," Will said as he folded his hands together and leaned his arms on his elbows.

"Just imagine how she feels if you are feeling helpless. She needs people to be strong around her so she can be," Emma replied.

"Is that all I can do though? Be strong? I need to be more, I have to be more," Will said starting to get angry at the fact that no matter what he did, it probably was not going to be enough. He couldn't be his old self around Rachel because she didn't remember who that was.

"Will, I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself. This isn't your fault," Emma said realizing his anger. This wasn't the first time Will had reacted this way. She remembered back in the hospital at how upset he was with the glee kids.

"It is my fault though, Emma. I ruined the one thing that was good and making me happy," Will said, letting his emotions take over. He couldn't help himself and he couldn't stop them from coming out.

"Will, are you okay? You are really starting to worry me," Emma said alarmed at his confession. She didn't know what to think, but to assume that Will had feelings for Rachel was overwhelming.

"I'm fine. I didn't mean anything by that," Will said realizing his mistake. Thankfully, Emma started talking again before he would break down completely.

"I think you need a break. Maybe coming back to school was too soon for you," Emma said, while Will stood up, getting ready to leave. "I mean, you were in the accident as well and I think you have been taking it too lightly," Emma stated.

"No, I'll be fine. The accident didn't do anything serious to me. Although I wish it had, instead of Rachel," Will whispered. Emma just stared at him with longing eyes as she looked at the defeated man in front of her. She had no idea on what to say or how to act on how to comfort him, and that scared her. She was afraid that Will would completely lose it one day and not be able to recover.

"Don't worry about me," Will said as he reached her door. "Thanks, Emma," he said as he flashed her a small smile before leaving behind a very confused Emma.

When his guidance session was over, lunch had just ended and Will made his way back to his history classroom. He was upset but tried not to let it show in his lesson. He continued on with his review and soon it was time for glee.

He quickly made his way through the crowded hallways and made it to the choir room. He was surprised when he saw everybody already in their seats. Everybody but Rachel and Finn.

"Where's Rachel? And Finn?" Will asked scanning the room noticing he was gone as well.

"Probably getting it on somewhere," Puck commented. The class groaned at his joke as did Will. He wanted no image of that in his head.

Seconds later, Finn walked in with Rachel behind him.

"Sorry, Mr. Schue, Rachel got hit with a slushy earlier and I was just helping her out. I guess we lost track of time," Finn said explaining their lateness. Will tried not to let his anger show through even though he had offered to help Rachel. He was the one that was supposed to take care of her but all she wanted was Finn.

"It's okay, we are all here now so let's begin," Will said as best he could without a glare.

"First off, we have a surprise for you Rachel," Will said as he glanced in her direction. "Finn," Will motioned for him to take the rest.

"Yeah, we have prepared a number for you, Rachel. We all want you to get better, but in the meantime, we want you to know that all of us will be here for you," Finn explained as everyone started to stand up and get in formation.

"This one is for you," Finn said as he stood in the middle of the group. Will watched Rachel throughout the performance and noticed how engaged she looked. She had a smile the whole time and Will sighed to himself. He should be happy that Rachel had once again found joy in music, but he couldn't help but feel jealous towards Finn. It wasn't Finn fault though as he knew nothing about his relationship with Rachel.

"Great job, guys," Will clapped when they were finished. "That's about it for today," Will said as he started to collect the sheet music.

"Rachel, could you stay back for a minute?" Will asked. She nodded at him and continued to stay in her seat. Once everyone had left, he pulled a chair up next to her.

"So Rachel, how was the rest of your day?" Will asked.

"It was fine. After the slushy, Finn helped me and then we went to the auditorium," Rachel said.

"You guys were supposed to be in class," Will said.

"I know, but I didn't want to go out in that hallway again and Finn was being so caring that we just decided to stay," Rachel explained.

"Well, next time you need to go. I know it can be scary here sometimes but you have to look past that," Will said. "If you ever need any help, I'm here for you," Will said placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I know, and I'm sorry, Mr. Schue. It won't happen again," Rachel said as she started to get up, thinking the conversation was over.

"Are we all done? Finn is waiting for me," Rachel asked.

"I guess," Will sighed. He really had no clue on how he was going to remind her of what they had. Her main priority seemed to be Finn and he was becoming just a distant memory. How could he have once been so close to her yet now feel so far away?

"Rachel, I, I need to talk to you more," Will said suddenly, not sure what he was doing.

"Okay, go ahead," she asked confused.

"Do you, do you remember when I was going to marry Emma?" Will started to ask.

"Somewhat, why?" Rachel asked. She remembered that they were in love but everything after that was a bit fuzzy to her still.

"Well, we didn't get married because something happened between us," Will said, calmly.

"What do you mean between us?" Rachel asked, more confused than ever. She didn't understand why Mr. Schue was acting so strange.

"Well, I mean," Will started to say but was interrupted by Finn.

"Hey, Rach, you ready to go?" he asked from the door. "Oh sorry, Mr. Schue," Finn said noticing that they still might be talking.

"It's okay, we can talk about this later," Will said with a slight smile although he felt defeated on the inside.

"Okay, bye Mr. Schue. See you tomorrow," Rachel said as she grabbed her bag and made her way towards Finn.

"See you guys," Will said back as he watched Finn throw his arm around her shoulder.

Will sighed, at what he was just doing. Was he really about to tell Rachel of what they had together? He wasn't sure, but he needed to think of something that would remind her or she may never come back.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the extremely long wait. This chapter took me a while to write because I originally had no plan for it. However, I have found direction again and plan to update more often. Happy reading!**

The next couple of days at McKinley were rough for Will and what was a couple of days, turned into a couple of weeks. It had been creeping up on four weeks since the accident and Will had turned into a completely different person.

He came to school with no interest in his appearance, dressing in whatever he could find off of the floor. He even came in once wearing the same outfit twice which Kurt had nicely pointed out to him during Glee club.

Other than his appearance, he took little pride in his hygiene including his hair and beard. He was losing control of his motivation to teach and he was on the verge of not caring all together.

The only thing that made him come to school was surprisingly, the Glee club. He didn't know why Glee club still had his interest especially seeing Rachel next to Finn every day, but he felt that it was the only thing keeping him sane. He figured that seeing Rachel happy was enough for him to keep coming.

His dramatic change in appearance and personality began to affect his friends. Emma had been trying her best to keep him in line but she was losing her patience. Every time she tried to talk to him or ask how he was doing, Will would push her away. It was beginning to takes its toll on her and she didn't know how to talk to him anymore. Shannon had also noticed his behavior was off and was growing concerned with each passing day, trying to talk to him whenever possible. Sue even stopped insulting him because she said it was too easy to mock him when his life had already taken a downward spiral.

Principal Figgins was the last one to notice Will's problem and decided it was time for a one on one meeting after school Monday.

"William, please take a seat," Figgins said motioning to the chair across from his desk. Will did so, slowly but surely he made his way to the chair. He knew he had been lacking in his professional life and was thus preparing himself for the punishment that he knew was going to be coming. He was surprised that Figgins had taken this long to talk to him but he knew it was only a matter of time.

"Is something wrong?" Will asked, trying to seem interested in the conversation. He was having a hard time focusing and just wished Figgins would give him his punishment and send him on his way. He didn't want a lecture because he most likely wasn't going to listen to it or pay attention.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. It has come to my attention, William, that you seem very distant and distracted from your teaching. I'm worried about your personal state and I hate to even say this, but your mental well-being," Figgins explained with concern. Will looked at him apologetically but he still had little interest in this meeting. He knew that he was losing interest in everything he once had. Glee club, teaching, his life, Rachel, but he just had no will to do anything about it.

"I'm sorry, sir. I realize that my personal issues have gotten in the way of my work. I'm trying to work on it," Will said as he ran a hand though his hair, suddenly frustrated at how low he had truly become when he thought about all the things that had changed in the past month.

"William, I know this accident has been very hard for you and has drastically changed your life. I however, think you jumped back into your teaching routine too quickly," Figgins explained cautiously. He knew the accident was still a rough patch to talk to Will about. He could see Will's eyes change to fear just by mentioning the accident.

"What are you suggesting, sir?" Will asked, confused by his wording. If he was ever worried about getting fired, this would be the time.

"I'm offering you two weeks paid vacation time off. I think it would do you some good to take a rest from your professional life," Figgins said, shocking Will. He wasn't expecting a vacation at all.

"I don't know what to say," Will said still in confusion.

"You don't have to answer right away, but I want an answer by Friday," Figgins stated as he saw the look of confusion on Will's face grow bigger in each passing second.

"This is for your own good, Will. If you continue on like this, I'm afraid you won't have many weeks left here," Figgins said with a lax but serious tone. He personally didn't want to fire Will but if he didn't get his act together, he had no choice. "If there are no further questions, this meeting is over."

"What about Glee club?" Will suddenly asked. If he left, who would take them to Nationals? He hadn't exactly been interested in singing lately but he still wanted them to perform and bring home the title. They at least deserved to be proud of something even if he currently wasn't.

"It can still run as long as a proper faculty member is running it," Figgins explained. "Good day, William. I have another meeting to attend," Figgins said as he said his goodbye and left the room.

Will sat in the chair a little bit longer to contemplate his offer. If he took it, what would he do for two weeks? He wasn't going to go on a vacation by himself. He didn't think that would fix the problem. The only way that would fix his problem was fixing Rachel's memory and the only way that could happen if he was here at McKinley. If he stayed though, he didn't know how much longer he could last before he completely cracked.

After a couple of minutes, Will glanced at the clock and noticed that Glee club was about to start. As he left Principal Figgins office in deep contemplation, he didn't even notice that he bumped into Emma.

"Emma, I'm sorry. Let me help you," Will said as he bent down to collect the papers that fell out of her hands when he bumped her. She looked at him in confusion at his gesture but followed along. She gave him a slight smile and grabbed the papers from his hands.

"It's okay. Thanks, Will" Emma said as she straightened the papers. She noticed him staring at her, so she felt compelled to ask if he was alright.

"Are you okay, Will? You seem different to me," she asked, noticing his concern over something. They hadn't spoken much over the past couple of weeks and Emma was desperately wondering how he was doing. Every time she tried to connect with him though, he turned away, but now maybe he was ready to talk.

"I'm fine," Will lied, but Emma knew him too well and saw through it.

"Come on, Will. I know that's not true," she said as she placed her hands on her hips, not letting her guard down.

"Fine, I just got out of a meeting with Figgins and he has offered me time off. I'm just trying to decide what to do," he explained, a little embarrassed to mention his offer. It showed how low he had become.

"How much time off?" Emma asked, surprised. She wouldn't have thought that he would get time off but at least he had this option rather than being fired.

"Two weeks, paid vacation," Will replied as he folded his hands together nervously.

"Wow, um, that's a lot of time off. What are you going to do?" Emma asked curious to know his answer.

"I don't know. I can't leave the Glee club but I honestly don't think I can be here much longer before I go completely crazy," Will replied with a troubled expression.

"How long do you have to decide?" Emma asked, curious.

"Till Friday, or sooner," Will stated.

"Well, I hope you decide," Emma said as she started to walk away. However, she stopped and looked back in his direction. He could probably use some guidance but she didn't have much to give him so she did her best to think of something.

"And Will?" Emma finally said. "I know you didn't ask for my opinion but, I really think you could use some time to yourself. It would do you good," she said as she gave him another small smile before finally continuing down the corridor.

Will took in her words as he watched her walk away down the corridor. He shook his head at a sudden thought that popped in his head and continued to make his way to the choir room. When he arrived, everyone was already seated and ready to start.

"Hey, guys. So I know we haven't prepared much, but Nationals is coming up in two weeks and we really need to focus," Will said as he stood in the front of the room. He grabbed the white board marker and pulled off the cap to get ready to write the lesson of the week on the board.

"We've already got you covered," Finn said from the front row, sitting next to a smiling Rachel.

"What do you mean?" Will asked confused as he put the cap of the marker back on.

"Oh come on, it's no secret that you have been looking and acting like crap these past weeks," Santana commented from the back of the room. Will shot a glare in her direction and held back a comment that would only upset her. He wasn't in the mood for her attitude, not today.

"What Santana is implying is that we've noticed that you haven't been yourself, so we have been practicing on our own to make up for lost time," Rachel explained with everyone else nodding in approval. Will directed his attention off of Santana and over to Rachel, all the while with a confused look on his face.

"Wait, what?" Will asked for a second time. They were working without him? Why wouldn't they just tell him? He would have stepped up and focused on them instead of himself.

"It's no big deal, Mr. Schue. We just want to win and since we haven't been having extra rehearsal, we have been working on our own time," Finn explained.

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" he asked, still puzzled by the confession.

"We tried but every time we did, you said you were busy and would ignore us," Mercedes explained. "You come in almost every day looking like a zombie," Quinn added from the seat next to her.

Will folded his arms across his chest as he stood in the front of the room, stunned. He couldn't believe that he had been that oblivious to the glee club. It was the one thing he had left and even now he didn't notice what a horrible job he was doing. It made him realize that maybe some vacation time off would not be such a bad thing.

"It's nothing personal, Mr. Schue. We know the accident has been hard on you," Sam said from the back row next to Santana.

"That's no excuse though. I've let you guys down and I don't deserve to be the leader of this group," Will explained with heartbreak at his confession. Everyone just stared at him with longing looks, hating to see their teacher like this. They wanted to help him but didn't know how. How could they help someone when all Mr. Schue's statements were true?

"Come on, Mr. Schue, don't you think you are being a little hard on yourself?" Finn asked finally breaking the silence in the room.

"No, I deserve all of this and it's time I do something about it," Will stated. He took a pause to regain his thoughts, deciding whether or not to tell them of his offer. He wanted so badly to tell but he wasn't one hundred percent on what he wanted yet, so he quickly changed the subject back to rehearsal to get them back on track.

"So what have you guys been working on?" he asked, directing his attention back to them.

"Well the theme is vintage, so we have been working on some possible song choices as well as a ballad and group song," Rachel explained.

"Also the choreography," Mike added in with Brittany nodding in approval.

"Great, let's see what you guys can do," Will said as he motioned for them to get in starting formation.

"Five, six, seven, eight," Will yelled as he began to clap. Once the group had completed rehearsal, they had finally chosen the group number and song to match the vintage them. They still needed to decide on a ballad but Will wasn't worried about that. He knew they would have their song selection complete soon.

"Great job today guys," Will said as he watched them leave. He patted a few of them on the back as they left and they smiled at him for the first time in weeks.

Rachel was surprisingly the last one to leave. Will noticed her hanging back as she packed her bag.

"Great job today, Rachel," Will said as he took a seat in the chair next to her. She smiled at him and turned her attention to him.

"Thank you, Mr. Schue," Rachel said.

"Mr. Schue?" Rachel asked. Will looked at her puzzled but allowed her to ask whatever question she had.

"Yes, Rachel?" Will asked.

"Do you think I will be able to perform in front of everyone at Nationals?" Rachel asked as worry crept on her face.

"You will be great, Rachel. I know you will be," he said honestly. Will watched her contemplate her words.

"What if I forget the words or am too nervous to perform? The old Rachel wouldn't have had these problems but I'm not the old Rachel anymore," she explained. "This is my first competition since the accident," she added. Will nodded at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. God it felt good to have his hand there.

"Listen, Rachel. You are going to be amazing and you will shine because you are a star. You always have been," Will explained.

"Thanks, Mr. Schue. I just don't want to disappoint you or anyone else," Rachel replied as she folded her hands in her lap, avoiding his gaze. She didn't want him to see her insecurity show through.

"There is nothing you could do to disappoint me," Will explained as he continued to stare into her chocolate eyes. She was avoiding his gaze but she finally looked up at him. When she did, it reminded Will of all the things he missed about the old Rachel.

He missed being able to talk with her and how they could be open about things. He missed how she used to look at him with love and he missed being able to reassure her that she would be fine with just a kiss. Maybe a kiss would be all it would take to calm her down.

"What if I trip or forget the choreography?" Rachel asked still not believing his words. Will continued to watch her lips, not noticing he wasn't listening to her anymore and instead took note of how full her lips looked.

"Or what if I get so nervous I faint or throw up on stage?" she continued to ramble on. Will felt his throat suddenly dry up every time he swallowed, but his eyes never left her mouth.

"What if I," Rachel continued but was interrupted by the sudden shock of his lips on hers. It was over as quick as it began and Will just stared at her in complete shock of his actions. He couldn't believe what he just did and immediately regretted it when he saw her bolt up from the chair. He prepared himself for a slap but he never got one.

"Rachel, I" Will started to say as he realized that she had ran to the door.

"Wait, please," Will called after her but had no luck. She was gone and out his sight in the blink of an eye.

Will cursed to himself at what he had just done. He didn't know what overtook him and this was definitely the last straw to him having any sanity left. He decided in that moment that he would be going to Principal Figgins and excepting his offer before his life took another drastic change.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the very long wait. I sort of lost interest in this story but I'm back and ready to finish it. Thanks for sticking with it and hope you like the new chapter. Please read and review to let me know what you think of it! Happy reading! **

**A/N 2: The italics represent a dream/flashback. **

Will knew he was in trouble. The moment his lips touched hers, he knew he had gone too far. He tried to apologize but she was out the door before he could even look her in the eyes.

He swung his legs angrily and kicked a nearby plastic chair. Angry thoughts began to circulate in his head and he came to the conclusion that whatever was between him and Rachel before the accident was all over now.

She was going to run into Figgins or Emma and tell what happened out of shock, only leading him to being in trouble and fired for inappropriate conduct with a pupil.

He had truly gone off the ledge of a dangerous cliff and was afraid that he would not be able to climb back onto to the life he once knew. He was losing it, and his actions today, proved it.

He quickly thought on his feet about what to do before Rachel could reach any faculty in the hallways. His mind reflected back to Figgins deal with him about taking leave, and suddenly, he made his decision.

Leaving the choir room, Will raced down towards Figgins office. It was getting late and he hoped to catch him before he had left for the day. He sighed in frustration as the light in the office was already off.

With no hope seeing to seep through Will's distraught thoughts, he continued back down the hallway in a much slower pace than before. While he walked past the lockers and tiled floor, he thought of a plan. A plan that consisted of telling Figgins first thing in the morning about his decision so he wouldn't have to come in for the day.

He knew it was dangerous to leave his fate in Rachel's hands, but there wasn't anything he could do at the moment to fix that. He just had to hope that she would forgive him and see his mistake before someone of authority found out.

As he walked, he passed Emma's office and another thought entered his mind about glee club. They needed an advisor now that he was leaving and knew that Emma loved the glee club just as much as he did. He also knew though, that things between them were rocky since she kissed him and he told her he wasn't interested. He wasn't sure if she would accept, but for now, it was his only option.

He knocked on the glass door and Emma looked at him with confusion. She motioned for him to come inside and he did so as he sucked in a breath, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Will, I wasn't expecting to see you here," Emma said as she adjusted the many items on her desk, making them perfectly in line with each other. "Take a seat," she added as she saw him standing nervously in front of her.

"Something I can help you with?" Emma asked as she saw that Will was contemplating what to say. She wondered what it could be as she saw him try to think of the right words to say.

"Yes, actually. I, um, I decided that I'm leaving and I need an advisor to take over the glee club while I am gone," Will said, finally finding his voice.

"And?" Emma asked, knowing where this was going.

"And I was hoping that maybe you could take over?" Will asked quietly, staring deeply into her eyes so she could see his desperation. Emma stared at him, unsure. She loved the glee kids just as much as he did, but she didn't know if this arraignment could work with their history between them. She didn't know what they were ever since she kissed him and the accident. What were they? Friends? Not friends? Co-workers? Potential lovers again? She had no clue.

However, Will was still someone she cared about and she couldn't let the glee club down right when they were this close to competing at Nationals.

"Okay," Emma said with a smile after a couple of minutes of silence.

"Okay?" Will asked surprised that she had made her mind up so quickly. She nodded back at him before continuing.

"Yes, Will, you know I love the glee club just as much as you do and I am always willing to help you out," Emma explained to him. He smiled at her and was grateful that she was still willing to help him after the way he had previously been acting.

"Thank you Emma, so much, really," Will said with a smile because he would be able to leave the glee club in good hands while he took time for himself.

"Nationals is coming up, but their set list is almost complete. They just need a ballad and to work on choreography," Will started to explain the details of their progress and what still needed to be worked on.

"Okay, got it," Emma said as she made a mental note of everything Will was saying to her.

"Anything else?" she asked. Will hesitated as he thought about Rachel. He wondered if he was ready to tell anyone yet, but decided against it as he remembered his surprise kiss and the reason he was leaving McKinley in the first place.

"No, just, keep an eye on Rachel please?" Will asked with minimal detail. Emma eyed him curiously but complied as she knew that Will still felt guilty about the accident and cared about his students well-beings.

"Of course," Emma said.

"Thanks again, Emma. You have no idea how much I need this," Will said as he began to stand up.

"It's no problem. I want you to get better so I think this is the best for you," Emma said as she folded a stack of pamphlets. She considered giving Will one, but she knew how he felt about them and tucked it back in the bunch.

"Yeah, well I better go," Will said as he began to turn around and leave. As Will turned to leave, he stopped in his tracks as Rachel ran past the glass window, keeping her direction straight ahead.

"Everything okay, Will?" Emma asked as she saw him freeze before her. Emma watched him curiously as he continued to stare out the window.

"Will?" she asked again.

"Uh yeah, I thought I saw something. I, I need to go," Will said as he finally left the office, leaving behind a very confused Emma.

He paced down the hallway as he followed Rachel's footsteps. He couldn't believe that she was still in the school. He thought that she had left after he kissed her, but maybe she had just gone to the bathroom to cry in private?

He turned the corner but stopped behind the wall as he heard her talking to Finn. He peeked around the corner and saw that Finn had his arms around her and was looking at her concerned.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" Finn asked with worry as he saw his girlfriend so upset. Will listened intently, eager to know what Rachel would say.

"It's, it's nothing," Rachel said, unsure how to explain the situation that had just happened between her and Mr. Schuester in the choir room. It was a shock to her system that left her utterly confused. She knew Mr. Schuester would not have done that unless it meant something more, she just didn't know what and trying to piece it together by herself, was no use. She couldn't tell Finn though as she knew how he would react. It had to between her and Mr. Schuester. It was the only way to figure everything out.

"I know your crying, and I know you are upset about something," Finn said as he continued to rub circles on her back for comfort.

"I'm fine really," Rachel said as Finn eyed her curiously, still not convinced that his girlfriend was completely fine.

"Okay, but I'll be here when you are ready to talk," Finn said as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to his chest.

"Thank you," Rachel said. "No need to worry though," she said reassuringly. Will breathed out a sigh of relief that Rachel had kept the kiss to herself. He casually walked behind the wall and around the corner, making it look like he was headed towards the choir room.

"Hey guys, everything okay?" Will asked, as he eyed them both.

"Yeah, everything is okay, Mr. Schue," Finn said as Rachel remained silent, looking at him with nervous eyes.

"Okay, I'll be in my office if you want to talk," Will said directing his attention to Rachel but not enough to where Finn would notice. Rachel locked eyes with him and saw the desperation that laid there. His look confirmed what she already knew. He wanted to explain himself because he had a reason for what he did. She nodded back at him, hoping to make him understand that she understood.

"See you guys," Will said as he continued on his way. He hoped his hint was subtle enough to where Rachel would catch on and come talk to him. She nodded back at him, so Will took that as a good sign that she could be mature about this.

He made it to his office in a matter of minutes and waited as patiently as he could behind his desk. He busied himself with reading and grading papers. As time had drawn on, he began to wonder if Rachel was going to stop by. It was taking her longer than he thought it would and wondered if Finn had offered to take her home.

He was finishing his last paper when there was a knock on his office door. He glanced up and sighed in relief as Rachel walked in, looking a little calmer than he left her in the hallway.

"Rachel, please sit," Will said as he motioned for the chair across his desk. Rachel nodded and slowly took the seat.

"So, I wanted to have a chance to explain myself," Will said as he noticed Rachel staring intently at him.

"Explain why you kissed me?" she asked quietly, now avoiding his gaze. She folded her hands out of nerves and felt the heaviness of the room through his eyes.

"Yes," Will said, simply. "There's no easy way to talk about what I'm going to tell you, but it's the only way to explain that what I just did had a reason," Will explained, not taking his eyes off her. He wanted to be honest, and now was the time.

"Okay, go ahead," Rachel said as she motioned for him to continue on, finally looking up into his powerful eyes. They held so much and Rachel was desperate to know what was going on.

"Do you remember anything before the accident, Rachel?" Will asked, starting off slow. He watched her close her eyes and think, think back to that horrible day.

"Not really, no," she finally said as she opened them, surprised to still see his gaze on her.

"Do you remember how the accident happened?" he asked, knowing that she probably didn't, other than what the doctors and her fathers had told her.

"A car accident wasn't it?" she asked and he nodded in approval.

"Right, with me. I was driving us back to my apartment," Will said as he then thought back to that dreadful day. _The flashing lights, the loud siren, his blue car in a ditch, he and Rachel in an ambulance. _

"Why were we going back to your apartment?" Rachel asked as that piece of information sounded odd in her head. Will snapped out of his thoughts and continued on.

"It was after glee and we were going to get some coffee," Will said taking note of how she listened carefully, but still showed a look of utter confusion.

"Why was I with you?" Rachel asked, still stuck on why she would be in a car with her teacher. It didn't make sense to her and she needed more information to figure everything out.

"Well, I, we, us," Will struggled out, trying to desperately tell the truth.

"We were in a relationship, Rachel. For a couple of months before the accident," Will finally said with a heavy sigh. He watched her face scrunch up in disbelief as her mind worked to put the pieces together.

"No, I don't believe you," Rachel finally said as she realized how wrong that would be. He was her teacher and she was pretty sure that it was illegal for them to be involved with each other.

"It's true. You broke up with Finn, I ended things with Emma. We started a new relationship together and everything was going fine, till the accident," Will explained, seeing the hurt in her eyes.

"The day of the accident changed everything, Rachel. You're memory of me as a lover had vanished and I was just a teacher again. You went back to Finn because he was the last person you remember dating," Will said, starting to feel the hurt himself. He felt his eyes tear up but would not allow himself to cry.

"But I haven't gone back to Emma because I have been waiting for you to come around. I keep hoping that you will get better and you have, but not as much progress as I would like. I kissed you today to see if it would trigger anything. I need to know that we still have a chance," Will said all in one breathe, finally letting his feelings surface.

"I still don't understand," Rachel said about to cry herself. Everything she thought she knew was now wrong and everything before the accident, she couldn't remember. She didn't know what was right nor wrong anymore and shook her head, trying to understand.

"Just, I need to know, did that make you remember?" Will asked sternly yet still calm. He was desperate and needed something that would let him know things were on the right track to getting better for Rachel and back to how they used to be.

Rachel stared at him unsure how to answer. The surprise of the kiss left her little time to think about what it meant, so she couldn't tell him if anything had changed or not. She wanted to, but she needed more time to think things through. Think about what his actions really meant to her and think to a time where she remembers them together.

"As of right now, no," Rachel said as she saw the hurt appear in Will's eyes. She almost felt sorry for him but remembered that she was still utterly lost on what had happened between them for them to be in a relationship together.

"I'm sorry," Rachel started to say as she saw the tears start to prickle out of his eyes. It amazed her at how much he still felt for her when she had been throwing Finn in his face the past couple of weeks.

"No, it's not your fault. It's mine," Will said as he began to stand up, feeling that this conversation was over. His plan failed and Rachel still thought of him as her teacher and even now, probably a pedophile for his feelings towards her.

"I'm still confused though," Rachel said as she had yet to move from her seat. She didn't remember, but that didn't mean she was giving up. If Mr. Schuester had said something real was between them, she wanted to feel whatever that was. She was willing to maybe give him a chance and show her how they once were.

"I am too, but I realize now that things aren't going to go back to the way they were," Will explained, even though it tore him apart. Rachel didn't remember him, plain and simple. Why should he force her in a relationship that was considered inappropriate by every state?

"What are we supposed to do now?" Rachel asked, feeling slightly angry at Will for telling her this and not doing anything about it. She now lived with a secret that she knew she couldn't tell anyone about. How was she supposed to act normal around him, when she didn't even know what that was anymore?

"I don't know, but please, don't tell anyone about this?" Will asked with desperation. His reputation was on the line and not one person could know the information he just told her.

"I, I won't," Rachel said, knowing what would happen if she decided to tell someone about his confession. He would get fired and suspended from the school for inappropriate conduct.

"Could you leave?" Will finally asked quietly, seeing the surprised look on Rachel's face appear. It pained him to say it, but if nothing was going to change, then he couldn't stand it to be in the same room with her anymore.

"Sure," Rachel said as she felt a little hurt at his request. She knew it was killing him inside, but she was feeling just as confused as he was. Asking her to leave was not going to fix anything, but apparently her being there wasn't a good choice either.

"I'll let you know if anything changes," Rachel added as she walked out of his office, without looking back. Will sighed and sat back in his chair, letting more tears spill down his cheeks.

Later that night, Rachel lay in her bed thinking about the events of the day. After Will told her about them, she cried all the way home. Finn had waited for her, but she rushed past him, ignoring his call after her.

She wanted to be alone to figure everything out because in her mind, she was still lost. She knew the truth, but that didn't mean that she understood it. She didn't understand how a student could fall in love with their teacher. She especially, didn't understand how it could be her and Mr. Schuester.

Everything was a mess and now she didn't know how to fix it, well she did, but that required her memory. Her memory was making progress, but still not to how it was. Certain memory's had holes in them, or were just gone completely. She wanted to be how she once was, but maybe Mr. Schuester was right. Things were not going to go back to how they were, unless her memory had returned.

She finally fell asleep that night, much later than normal. Her father's checked on her throughout the night, noticing that her behavior was off. She stirred in her sleep as if in a bad dream, but they didn't wake her. She needed her sleep, so they let her have it.

Rachel lay in her bed on her back, while in the middle of a deep sleep, stirring every so often as she dreamed.

_Loud sirens were echoing through her head, voices were being shouted to her, she was half awake and was being carried somewhere. She was in a strong hold, but couldn't make out who was holding her. It had to be a man though as she felt his muscular arms wrap around her._

"_It's okay Rachel, look an ambulance is here," the voice says. Rachel knew that voice. She knew it well. It was Mr. Schuester. He was carrying her. His arms were the ones wrapped around her small frame._

"_What's going on?" she asked, dazed and confused. _

"_Everything's, okay," he said, but that didn't help._

_She adjusts and looks around his shoulder to see his blue car in the ditch on the side of the road. They were in that and now they were here, walking to safety. _

_He's singing to her, On My Own from Les Mis, but now they aren't in the middle of a road, they are in the choir room. Just the two of them at the piano. She takes over the singing for him and he smiles at her, as it is one of her favorite songs._

_He holds out her hand and offers her to dance and she takes it. The lights are low and they are the only two people in the room. Glee must have ended some time ago and the others had left._

_He holds onto her waist and spins her around gently. She grabs onto his neck for support. He laughs and so does she because dancing together is one of their favorite things to do. He pulls her back up and she rests her head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat strong against her eardrum._

_He's about to say something, but now she is in a pool. They are singing as he comes out to propose to Ms. Pillsbury. He looks happy and so does she. Finn is smiling at her and she smiles back. _

_They're now in the auditorium and Finn is on one knee in front of her. She gasps as he pulls a ring out. He asks her to marry him and she can't answer. Can't feel anything. She panics and says she'll think about it before running away._

_She's back in the choir room and there is Mr. Schuester. She walks in and he notices her being distressed. He's talking to her but she doesn't hear anything he is saying. He's leaning in now and his lips are close to hers. She panics but shakes her head that it is okay. He leans in more and now his lips are just inches apart._

The buzzing of the alarm clock wakes Rachel up. She sits up and notices the cold sweat on her forehead. She is confused as she tries to slow her breathing down. It was Will, who she was dreaming about. The accident, his proposal to Ms. Pillsbury, Finn and everything else that had happened between them the past couple of months.

She struggled to put everything together, but knew that Mr. Schuester was right. They had something in the past and her dream confirmed it. She knew that dreams were not the most accurate portrayal of events, but this one seemed so real to her. She could feel him hold her to safety; feel him kiss her in the choir room.

It was all real, and she knew that it was trying to tell her something. She had to talk to Will to find out what.

She got ready for school as she would any normal morning and headed down to greet her fathers. They noticed that she looked better and were happy to see that she was awake.

She ate a quick breakfast and made her way to school, where she knew Will would be in his office, because that was where she always met him before school.

She raced down the hallway and into the choir room, but found the light to be dim and no sign of him being there. Hearing the bell ring for classes to start, she decided she would have to talk to him later.

She waited all day and saw no sign of him. She made her way to glee and was startled to see Ms. Pillsbury standing in front of the whiteboard.

"Ms. Pillsbury? Where is Mr. Schuester?" Rachel asked confused on why the guidance counselor was teaching glee.

"I was just telling the others that he will be gone for the next two weeks. He's on leave for personal reasons and won't be back till the end of his time. He has asked me to take over for him. Now, if you could sit, we can start," Emma said as Rachel's eyes grew wide.

She had been waiting all day for him, and now he wasn't there. She needed to talk with him to make him understand that she did remember.

She knew where we was if he wasn't at school, his apartment. She began to leave, suddenly not caring about the others or practice.

"Rachel, where are you going?" Ms. Pillsbury asked as she saw Rachel turn to leave.

"It's an emergency. I need to go," she said without stopping as she heard Finn call after her as well.

She continued on along the hallways, not stopping for anyone. She made it out without being questioned and she began to walk to his apartment. Even though it had been four weeks since the accident, her father's felt uncomfortable for her to drive, thinking she might forget how. She was only ever allowed to get a ride or to walk, and today she had decided to walk.

She was lucky though, as Will lived relatively close to the school. She got there in fifteen minutes; almost out of breathe from walking so quickly. She nervously knocked on his door and waited for his answer.

"Rachel?" Will asked, confused to see her at his door. "You're supposed to be in glee," he said as she made his way past him and into his apartment, leaving him with a concerned look.

"Forget about glee. I need to talk to you," Rachel said as she took a seat on his couch.

"Okay, about what?" Will asked as he sat next to her, turning his body to face hers.

"I had a dream last night and it was about you," Rachel said looking at him directly in the eyes, so he could read her feelings.

"Me?" Will asked confused, but with hope. If Rachel dreamt about him, it must mean that her subconscious was trying to tell her something.

"Yes and I woke up different this morning," she explained as Will urged her to continue. "I remember things before the accident. Things about us," she clarified as Will's eyes grew, filling with happiness.

"Like what?" he asked, curious to know, but didn't want to get his hopes up if they weren't true.

"The accident, and then us dancing in the choir room after practice, and then your proposal to Ms. Pillsbury. I also dreamt about Finn proposing to me, but in the end it all came down to you kissing me in the choir room," Rachel smiled, as did Will. He remembered that was the first place where he had kissed her, at the piano after Emma stormed out on him.

"That's true. I did kiss you in the choir room," Will said as Rachel continued to smile, knowing that her dream was real, that it meant something.

"I knew it. Your kiss the other day must have triggered something in me, because now, I remember there being an us," Rachel explained, excitedly.

"You're serious, Rachel? You remember us as a couple?" Will asked with happiness bursting through ever fiber in his body. He couldn't believe how one night could change someone's perspective on things or make them realize what they had all along. He suddenly wished that he would have kissed her earlier, if he had known this as a result.

"Yes," Rachel said with a smile that matched his.

"I can't believe this," Will said in disbelief as a tear trickled down his face.

"I know, I can't either. I was so confused the other day, but it really helped me see things differently," Rachel said as she grabbed onto his hands. Will sighed in content as he was now able to touch her again without making her uncomfortable. He was able to love her again without thinking she was with Finn or anyone else.

"So, what does this mean?" Will asked to clarify that Rachel was completely sure of their relationship.

"I want to be with you again, like we were. I felt so far away from you these past couple of months but never want to feel that again. I want to be close to you, as long as you want me to be," Rachel explained with tears in her own eyes. She was getting her life back and was finally remembering things before the accident and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I want you close to me, Rachel. Believe me, you have no idea," Will said as he finally leaned in and kissed her. It was slow as each other took the time to make up for the lost months.

"Thank you for bringing me back to who I was," Rachel said as she rested her forehead against his.

"I had no choice. I needed you," Will said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"And I need you," Rachel said back.

"Just no more driving, okay?" Rachel laughed back as Will playfully glared at her.

"Never would think about it," he said as he kissed her forehead. They lay back into the couch wrapped in each other's hold, feeling closer than they had in the past four months.

**A/N: Thanks for reading this story to completion! I couldn't have done it without you all reading and reviewing! Just one last question, should there be an epilogue? Vote in a review and tell me! Thanks all! **


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